Sandcastles
by Freezegirl8000
Summary: Edward and Bella were best friends but at the age of five, her family decided to move to a town hours away from Forks. Separated by family. Damaged by friends who didn't understand. Brought together by fate. This is their story. AH/AU BxE
1. Age 5: Separation

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N: This is probably going to be the longest A/N I'm ever going to write but I think I have to get this out. **

**I have written one other Twilight fanfic and I have portrayed Edward as an asshole who turns into an amazing guy. I'm going to try my hand at writing a different one. Hope you can soon be able to find out what type of guy he is. **

**This story isn't going to be as ridiculous and dramatic as my other story and ****hopefully it won't be as confusing. I hope this**** story will be an improvement of some sort.**

**This fanfic was inspired by many stories. Too many to credit to but you may find some of my favorites in my 'favorites' list. **

**Lastly, this is my second Twilight AH story so please be gentle with it. **

**Please leave a review and tell me what you think!**

**EDITED: 27****th**** October 2010 **

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**Age 5**

"Edward!" Bella shouted, waving her arms wildly. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown and she had the biggest smile ever seen on a five year old anywhere. "Look what I found!"

A little bronze-haired boy came running towards her, the wind blowing against him. His undeveloped chest was bare and he was wearing shorts which hung loosely from his narrow frame. He had a plastic fishing pole in his hand and the most beautiful smile plastered across his adorable face.

"Did you find it?" he asked, his startling green eyes opened wide with excitement. "You found it, didn't you? The special rock I told you about? The purple one with the red and green polka dots?"

"No! Not _that_. Look!" Bella shook her head furiously, her little pigtails gently whipping against her face, and pointed to the magnificent castle sculpted with sand. It towered over her little thin frame. She was dressed in faded denim shorts and a bright green t-shirt. Without sunscreen and a hat, there were already red burns from the sun appearing on her neck and cheeks.

"It looks awesome, doesn't it?" she asked Edward excitedly. Her friend appeared to be unmoved and confused by the sand sculpture."Doesn't it, Edward? _Doesn't it_?"

He shrugged and sucked in a large amount of air and then blew it out loudly. "I bet I could've made a better one."

"No. No you couldn't have. You're just saying that, meanie. You could never make this in a _million _years," Bella insisted, her eyes still wild with imagination. "Do you think we can go inside? We can pretend to be the prince and princess of the castle and make everything _ours_! We can put our shell collection in there, Edward! The guards of the castle will keep it safe for us."

"Don't be stupid, Bella," Edward scoffed, crossing his skinny arms across his chest. "Sandcastles are made of sand. It's _soft_, dummy!"

He looked at her and saw how upset she was and tried to console her. "Well…we could try, I suppose."

"But I'm not going to dig you out if the castle falls on you," he said with a teasing glint in his eyes. "You'll have to ask one of your castle _guards_ to help to get out."

Bella stopped and he looked over his shoulder. "What?" he grinned cockily. "Are you a wimp, or something?"

She shook her head and Edward laughed and began to taunt her. "Ooooh, Bella's a scaredy cat!"

"Am not," Bella protested, frowning and folding her arms across her chest, clearly not amused by Edward.

"Yes, you are. Come touch the castle, then, if you aren't scared!" he said, teasing her. "Dare you to touch it. Last one to do it is a stinky poop!"

Bella suddenly burst into tears and ran away. "Mommy! Mommy! Edward's being a meanie today! I don't want to play with him anymore."

A woman with brown hair and matching eyes bent down and eyed her daughter with concern. "What's wrong, sweetie?"

Bella rubbed her eyes and pointed at Edward. "Edward's not a nice friend today, Mommy. I just want to go home."

Renee chuckled at the exasperated expression Esme cast toward her son. "He's just like any other five year old kid, you know. Cut him some slack. He'll grow up to be just like his father," she said, trying to make her friend feel less worried.

Esme smiled. It wasn't hard to guess that she was not older than twenty five. From an outsider's perspective, when she was not with her son, Edward, she looked like she was still in college. "God, I hope so. I just hope we're doing the right thing, you know, bringing him up this way."

"He'll be fine," Renee assured her best friend. "We all will be."

"Mommy!" Bella whined. "I want to go now! I want to go home."

"Bella, I'm sure he was just having fun. He didn't really want to hurt your feelings."

Renee begged her daughter with her eyes, pleading not to ruin the day by being silly, but she could tell Bella was just not in the mood today.

"I guess we're going now," Renee sighed. "Such a stubborn child."

She took her daughter in her arms and picked her up. As they began to walk back towards the beach house, Edward suddenly realized what happened.

"Wait! Bella! Please wait!" he said as he ran towards them as fast as his little legs could manage.

Edward stopped when Renee turned around and placed Bella back on the sand. He was heartbroken when he saw her red eyes and tears that were now trailing down her cheeks.

"Bella?" he asked, walking towards her.

"Go away," she said, turning her back on him. "I'm not going to talk to you until you say you're sorry."

Edward ran forward and hugged her tightly. "I'm sorry for being a mean person. I didn't mean it. I was just joking, really."

Bella didn't know what to do. She had mixed feelings about Edward. He could be a nice friend when he wanted, but sometimes she had a feeling that he just wanted to burst her bubble. That was what she was feeling right now. She was excited about finding a big sandcastle, but wasn't anymore, not when Edward plainly told her she was being stupid for being imaginative and creative. Her mother always told her that her mind filled with imaginative stories and characters was a sign that she was a smart girl, but in her heart, she knew that Edward was the smart one. He knew words like _calamity _and _tranquility_ – words that Bella wished she knew but didn't.

"It's okay," she finally decided, taking a step back and detangling herself from Edward's arms. "As long as you _promise_ that you're not going to do it again."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Swan," Edward apologized and hung his head. "I'm sorry for being mean to Bella and hurting her feelings. I didn't intend to do that."

Renee looked at the five year old boy, who had amazing manners and vocabulary, and was looking at the ground, possibly too scared to look into her eyes. She bent down and turned his face up to look into her eyes.

"It's okay, Edward. I know you weren't doing it on purpose. You were just having fun but Bella didn't get it," she said softly. "And Edward, please call me Renee."

Edward breathed a sigh of relief and gave Bella a smile which could light up the world.

"So, are you still going to go home?"

"Nah-uh. We were having so much fun before," Bella said, grabbing Edward's hand and taking him back to the beach.

Esme and Renee watched in silence at how quickly Bella could forgive Edward for his flaws.

"I wish I could forgive like Bella could," Esme mused loudly. "I wish _Edward _could be like that."

"Don't say things like that," Renee said, swatting her friend on the arm playfully. "Edward's got the most amazing manners. He's so smart. I wonder if he knows what he wants to become already."

"A doctor, last time I asked him."

"Carlisle's sure setting a good example, then." Renee smiled.

"Is Bella going to stay at Forks Elementary, then?" Esme asked.

Esme watched her friend struggle to find an answer and knew. They were going to move. Renee had told her in passing a few months ago. Charlie had wanted a job with a greater pay and it wasn't going to be being a police chief in the small town of Forks.

"When?" she whispered, in case Edward or Bella could hear their conversation. "Soon? This year? But Bella's going to do second grade here, right?"

"In two weeks' time," Renee said, her lips hardly moving at all. "I don't know how to help Bella understand why. This place isn't for her and Charlie has scored a fantastic new job as Police Chief in Phoenix."

"Edward will be devastated, I'm sure."

"But he has many friends here, doesn't he? I don't know, but I'm sure Edward's a very likeable boy; he shouldn't have any problems."

Renee's frown lines were becoming more and more visible. Her shoulders were tense and her best friend knew that she needed to find a new topic to discuss.

"Does your daughter mention Edward a lot? During dinner or whenever she talks about her friends and school?" Esme asked.

Before Renee could reply, an ear-splitting scream behind them caused them to stop talking and the two women turned around to see what happened.

"Bella?" Edward asked, biting his lip to prevent his laughter. "It was a joke. Honestly, there are no crabs in the water. It's just some plastic bags, really!"

Both Renee and Esme rolled their eyes. It was just so _Edward_. Renee wondered how he would react if she told him right now that his best friend was moving away, possibly forever. She knew that they could still keep in touch but they were still so _young_. Anything was possible. They were five years old, and – after all – what did five year olds know about heartbreak? She was so sure it wouldn't be a problem.

Biting her lip, she decided to ask Esme for her opinion.

"I think it's best if we both tell him. Tonight," Renee said firmly.

"What? Why?"

"I-I have this plan to explain it gently. I don't want Edward to think that it's because of what he has done to Bella or for him to feel guilty or something," she continued. "Bella doesn't know yet but I think that he should know first. Maybe he can…I don't know, at least, _know _what's going to happen."

Renee shook her head. She had no idea what to do. If only Phoenix wasn't so far away…

Esme sighed. "I think it's the right thing to do. Perhaps Edward would be more gentle with her and _nicer _to her sometimes."

The two adults noticed the darkening sky and called their children back. Edward and Bella whined but knew that they would still have more fun over the following days. As the four of them reached the Swans' holiday beach house, the mood was already somber and even Bella and Edward noticed the change.

"Mom?" Bella asked softly. "What's wrong?"

Renee forced a smile for her daughter. "Nothing, baby. Why don't you and Edward go take a shower? All your clothes are set out for you already."

Bella nodded and headed towards her room but Edward was more stubborn.

"Mom, if there is anything wrong, please, please, please, _please _tell me!" Edward insisted, stomping his feet loudly.

"I will, dear. I will."

Esme looked at her obstinate son who was always relentless when he wanted to know something to do with the 'adult business' and sighed. She couldn't bear to see her son unhappy but it was something that she would have to deal with. Soon.

Renee headed towards the kitchen and placed the metal pan on the table roughly with a loud clang.

"Tonight it is, then. When Charlie comes home and after dinner. _Tonight,_" she decided.

Dinner was a quiet event. Everyone was seated but no one touched the food. Even the crunchy fish sticks, which were always Edward's favorite, remained unmoved.

"Come on," Esme said, trying to break the ice. "Edward, why aren't you eating?"

Edward shrugged. "Not telling. You're not telling me something. I _know_ it."

"Edward, please be reasonable."

"I don't know what that means!"

"It means _sensible_, dummy!" Bella said, poking Edward in the ribs. "Even I know that!"

Edward sulked in his seat and crossed his arms, hating that Bella finally knew something he didn't. "Whatever."

"Edward! Bella! Enough!" Charlie barked and the two of them stilled in their seats.

"Mom, do you need me to help?" Edward asked Esme softly, after Bella and Charlie left the table. "Renee? Do you want me to help clean up?"

"Sure, Edward. You can start with wiping the table."

"Are you going to tell me the secret now?"

Renee and Esme chuckled at Edward's exasperated expression.

"Edward, Charlie has a new job in Phoenix. Bella will be leaving with her family," Esme said softly.

Edward felt his heart freeze. He could not imagine what it would be like without playing and arguing with his best friend every day. He didn't know what to say. He rubbed his eyes furiously at the unfamiliar burning feeling. There were hot tears trailing down his little cheeks and he wiped them away quickly. Esme looked at her son's reaction and wondered if she had worded it all wrong. She did not know until that moment how important Bella was to him.

"Forever?" he croaked out. "Mommy, please. Can we move there?"

"To live there forever, but you can visit her sometimes and write her letters. It will be like she never left."

Edward shook his head furiously. "No! No. No, Mommy. I want to be with Bella! She's my best friend and I…I really like her."

Esme felt like her heart was being ripped out by the way Edward was talking about Bella. Her son was growing up fast. She always knew he was smarter than most his age group but didn't know that he had such mature emotions. She did not know that this was how Edward felt about her. It was heartbreaking.

She bent down to talk to him, face to face. "Edward, sweetheart, before Bella leaves, promise me that you will be very nice to her. She doesn't know yet, and I don't want you to tell her. I know you are very smart, so promise me that you will let her parents tell her the news, okay?"

Edward nodded and embraced his mother. "Yes, mummy. I'm going to miss her a lot."

"Me too, sweetheart. Me too."

Edward hung around Bella the rest of the summer vacation. Sometimes, Bella's friend Alice who lived near the beaches of La Push would tag along and go exploring around the forest. They camped together and Edward told Bella scary stories about mountain lions and animals that lived under rocks and in the forests and held her when she became so frightened she started crying. He liked it when he hugged Bella. She was soft and warm and just _right_. Sometimes, he really wanted to break his promise and tell Bella what was going to happen before school started.

"Ew, Edward! Look at your shirt. It's all soggy and wet," Bella teased him.

Edward shook his hair, wet with mud, at her. "That's because you threw mud bombs at me and it splashed all over my shirt!"

"I know. You look so funny like that. You look like a mountain lion!"

Edward grinned, showing his missing front teeth. "You're just saying that. You're _scared _of them, I know you are!"

Bella shrugged and ran back to the beach house. Edward knew she was scared but he loved it when she pretended to be brave. He thought it was so funny that she had a straight poker face when her little legs were shaking.

Two weeks of summer went by quickly and a couple of days before Bella was leaving, Edward was waiting patiently for her to come out to play with him but she never appeared. He had his present to her wrapped up in a pretty pink bow and was ready to tell her everything. Anxious and worried about what had happened to her, he looked around the beach, hoping to find that she was hiding somewhere, to spook and frighten him.

To his disappointment, he found nothing. Nothing to scare him. Nothing to make him laugh.

Bella was leaving in two days. If she didn't turn up tomorrow, Edward didn't know what he would do. Esme was always there to comfort him, but it wasn't fixing anything now. He only had two more days to have fun with Bella. He had two days to make fun of her, to scare her, and to play with his best friend in the world.

The next day, Edward found Bella outside on the beach, kicking at the broken branches and dead leaves on the sand.

"Bella!" he called out, running towards her, ecstatic that she was there waiting for him. "Bella! I have something for you."

However, one look at Bella's tear-stained face, and Edward knew that she knew, too.

"I-I have something for you. I'm going to miss you a lot because you are my best friend. It's something I went to the stores to pick out with my mom," he said softly, reaching out to hold her hand. "Can you believe it? I actually _went _to the stores that girls like Rosalie Hale and Alice always go to. But it's for you, so yeah…well…hope you like it."

The silence was getting awkward as Edward handed Bella the present. He knew it wasn't something big, or probably significant, but he hoped that it was pretty enough that she would remember him. His heart was pounding in his chest as her eyes widened at the soft purple bunny which was in her hands.

Bella's eyes burned but she didn't want to cry in front of Edward. She had cried so many times in front of him that she knew he already thought that she was nothing but a little wimp. Her hands moved to the stitches engraved at the heart of the bunny. Neatly sewn were the words _Bella & Edward Best friends forever 1994. _

"Promise not to ever, ever, ever, ever, _ever _forget me?" Edward asked her, holding her hand tightly in his.

Bella smiled. She couldn't ask for a better best friend. She knew that she would always remember him, even if they were worlds apart. "I'll never ever ever ever _ever _forget you."

Edward hated the fact that he was the one who always made her cry.

"I'll make Dad take us to Phoenix," he said confidently. "We're going to come visit you soon and I'll write you letters."

Bella nodded and grinned at him.

Edward grinned, too. "But I'll only write you letters if you read them. I don't think you can read yet, right?"

She smacked his arm loudly and didn't apologize when he groaned in pain. She knew he always had to ruin the mood.

"Can so," she said snobbishly. "I _can _read!"

"You can only read if you know how to spell ," Edward said.

He looked at Bella's face and knew that she was stuck.

"Haha! I _knew _it! Bella can't read. Bella can't reeeeeaaaaddddd!"

Edward looked like he was about to do a touch down dance and Bella blew a loud raspberry at him.

"So? You can't dance!" she defended. "You can't do ballet. You can't do _anything, _loser!"

Edward's face fell at Bella's remark. "Can so. I can do everything. And I was just joking anyway. I'm sure you can read some words."

"I can read _everything_."

"Whatever," Edward said, trying to change the subject. He hated it when Bella didn't get along well with him because he was being obnoxious and underestimating her. He smiled his famous crooked smile at her which he knew she loved. "So…wanna go swimming with the sharks?"

The day Bella was leaving, Carlisle took a break from work and took both her and Edward to have ice cream in the local parlor.

Edward looked at Bella, who looked so withdrawn, and didn't know what to do. Nothing would cheer her up today. Not even ice cream.

"Dad, we can go to Bella's place to visit right?" Edward asked his dad hopefully.

"Sure we can. I'm sure your mother would love some sun."

"It's settled then," Edward said loudly. "We're going to your place, Bella! We're gonna visit you and you can show me your new room and stuff!"

Bella finally cracked a smile. "Awesome! Thanks, Dr. Cullen."

"No problem, Bells. Besides, you can always come back for the holidays, too. I'm sure we can rent out this place again. It's been incredible."

"Yeah!" Edward fist pumped into the air. "That's _awesome_! And we can go hunting for the mountain lions again, right?"

"And what then, Edward?" Bella asked, celebrating with him now. "We're gonna eat them up."

Edward watched as Charlie and Renee loaded their luggage into the back of their car. Not everything was going to fit, especially the furniture so it was going to be shipped over in the next couple of weeks. His insides felt weird – something he had never experienced before. For the first time, he was fighting back tears because he wanted to stay strong until Bella left. He didn't want Bella to know that her best friend was a big baby.

The summer was over and second grade was going to start in a few days. It was going to be the first time he was going to school with no one to pick on, or to play in the sand pits with. He thought of Rosalie Hale, the girl with the blonde pigtails who had all the boys wanting to be her friend and shuddered. He vowed to himself that he would never sink that low. He would have to find new friends and start over.

"Alright there, buddy?" Carlisle asked him, rubbing him gently on his shoulders. "Wanna go play soccer later?"

"Yeah."

Edward started to panic as he worried that he would never see his best friend again, but as the Swans pull away, Bella turned down the window and waved back at him, smiling sadly. He waved back until he couldn't even see the shadow of the car.

"Edward, you're going to make new friends. I'm sure there will be other people that will hang out with you. Don't worry about it, son," Carlisle said softly. "We're stuck here with you."

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**A/N Probably not heavily edited but it has been changed a bit - mostly in grammar and spelling and silly mistakes.**

**Thank you to all the readers and reviewers and to PTB, especially to DeeDreamer and Savannah-Vee for their wonderful help.**


	2. Age 7: First Catch

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N Unbeta'ed is unbeta'ed so please overlook my mistakes. **

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**Age 7**

Bella had just come home from school when she saw a letter in the mailbox. Curious, she took it out and saw that it was addressed to her. Excitement coursed through her whole body. She had never received a letter before. It made her feel like a grown-up.

"Mom!" she shouted, dumping her bag on the sofa and running into the kitchen. "I got a letter! A letter, Mommy!"

Renee chuckled. "That's great, honey. I'm just washing some vegetables for dinner and then we'll open it together, okay?"

Bella groaned. She hated how everyone, including her new friends, saw so little of her. Only the teachers at school knew that she had a talent. She was good at Art and Maths. Her paintings were so striking that they were chosen by the school headmaster for the school art exhibition. No one in Phoenix saw her talent. She hated how Jessica thought that she was just some girl who made up an imaginary friend named Edward.

Thinking of Edward made Bella's stomach squirm. She missed him so much. She missed his hugs, his laughs, and even the teasing which used to make her upset and angry.

"I can _read, _Mommy!" she insisted. "I won the spelling bee!"

She ran to her room and shut the door with a loud _slam_.

Tearing open her letter, she began to read slowly, word by word, just like Mrs Clearwater told her to do.

_For Bella_

_I'm sad that I __haven't seen you for a year but Dad said that you could come over this summer before school starts again. I really really really want you to come back and visit because I miss you a lot. Forks is really boring without you. _

_I hope you have made friends at your new school. I'm kicking butt here and Mr Uley tells me I'm the smartest in the class. _

_Emmett, Rose, Alice, and Jasper are my new friends and I have told them about you. __They're so excited to meet you._

_From__ your best friend Edward_

_PS. Mom didn't check my spelling for me __ See? I told you I was good at it!_

_Best friend_, Bella thought. He still thought of her that way. She was so happy she could sing! Her irritation with her mom disappeared almost immediately and she ran out of her room in a hurry.

"Mom! It's from Edward. His dad said that we can go visit him this summer!" Bella said excitedly. "Please, Mommy? _Please_?"

Renee sighed and patted her daughter's head. "Sure. Daddy was planning it to be a surprise but I guess Edward was too excited and told you, right?"

Bella nodded. She thought back to the fun times she enjoyed at La Push exactly a year ago. She thought of the rare sun, the glistening water, the sandy shores, and the magnificent forest which covered most of the surrounding land. "I can't wait. This summer is going to be the _best_!"

...

Bella was waiting impatiently for the flight and watched as the flight attendants and passengers strolled easily up and down the aisle, putting up and taking down their bags to check that everything fit in the overhead compartments. She saw the passengers leaning out of their seats and maneuvering slowly to chat together with others. The plane idle on the tarmac made Bella wish that she could just take off herself – in a space rocket or a helicopter.

"Are we there yet?" Bella asked, her bright brown eyes wide. She was so bored of the games available. She was just too eager to see Edward again.

Renee sighed. She has never seen a more persistent girl. It has only been one and a half hour and the kid was already jumping up and down her seat, looking out the window to see whether the plane has landed. "Not yet. There's still two and a half more hours, sweetheart. Why don't you flip through the channels and see if there are any movies you like?"

_Don't normal kids like flying on planes to __play video games and watch movies? _Renee wondered absentmindedly.

At last the plane descended and rolled slowly and lazily from the gate. Renee patted Bella's hand gently to tell her that the plane has landed.

"We're in Seattle now, baby," Renee said. "Do you remember this place?"

Bella nodded her head eagerly. "The big buildings and the sky scrapers, right?"

Her mother nodded. "That's right, clever girl."

Bella grinned, showing her missing front teeth. She loved it when her mom called her a clever girl, because she knew she was. She was going to be the smartest girl in the world when she was older.

The one hour plane ride from Seattle to Port Angeles was not what Renee was worried about. Planes carried a lot of distraction. Bella loved looking outside to see the fluffy white clouds and eavesdropping to hear what the passengers around her were talking about. It was the hour drive to Forks that was the going to be the problem. Everyone who knew Bella well knew that she _hated _long drives. She hated how she had to sit there still and look out the window to see nothing but roads and cars.

Driving always put her in a very dark mood.

"Mom!" Bella whined. "Are we there yet?"

Renee groaned internally. "No, sweetheart. There is still ten minutes, okay?"

"Dad!" Bella called to her father in the front seat. "I _hate _car rides. Why can't we go on a plane?"

Charlie chuckled. He knew that when his sweet daughter asked his wife these questions, she was frustrated and angry but he thought it was adorable. He remembered that it was exactly how he felt when he was that age. "Maybe we can take some of your friends next time. I'm sure Edward would like to meet your friends, too. What's that little girl's name? Jessica, is it?"

Bella looked at her father with a horrified expression. "No. Not _Jessica_! She's a nasty girl. I _hate _her."

Charlie laughed. "Alright, then, baby girl. We're almost there."

…

It took only one trip for Bella to load all of her toys and suitcase on her bed. She got to choose which room she wanted because she was a good girl on the plane. The west bedroom that faced the sandy beach was small but beautiful. She would get to see the magnificent golden sunset every afternoon. As she laid spread out on the bouncy bed, she remembered the wooden floor and the light pink walls last time she was here exactly a year ago. There were no changes at all – it was like she was the only guest ever.

"Bella!" a loud scream behind her made her jump off the bed in surprise.

Bella turned around and saw a boy who was a little taller than her. He still had the same bronze hair and startling green eyes she remembered. "Edward!" she ran outside to hug him. "You're really here!"

Edward laughed, it was a sound she remembered and loved. "I know. Mom said that I can stay here for a bit and then we are going back to our beach house for lunch."

"Awesome."

"So…did you make any new friends in Phoenix?" Edward asked her while heading down to the beach.

Bella nodded silently. "Yeah. A few. There's this girl who is a real meanie. Her name is Jessica and she always teases me."

"Tease her back then. Call her a pig in a wig or a gorilla. I bet you she wouldn't know what a _gorilla_ was."

"Probably not."

Edward held out his hand tentatively, hoping that Bella would take it. He was going to pull her into the water with him.

"Hey!" Bella squealed as Edward dumped her in the water. "The water is freezing cold."

"I wouldn't know," Edward smiled crookedly. "After all, _I'm _still dry."

He watched Bella waddle out of the water in her short jeans.

"Come on, Eddie!" Bella said, reaching out for him. "It's not _that _cold. Just dive in and we can have a water fight."

"Not fun without water guns."

"That's where you're wrong. I have two in my pocket. And they're _filled _with water already!"

Edward watched in mock terror as Bella took out the water pistols and pointed it at him.

"That's not fair. You have to give me one and then I'll go into the water."

"Okay."

Bella grinned at him and threw one into the water. Edward groaned and reluctantly dived in.

"I'm in now," he said. "The water fight begins _now_!"

He sprayed the water into his mouth and blew it out at Bella.

"Ewww!" Bella shrieked. "That's gross!"

"It's still water," Edward smirked. "I have two guns now. My mouth and your pistol. There's no way you can win!"

Bella looked at Edward, who was having so much fun and decided not to burst his bubble. She would let him win just this once. Once she has changed out of her jeans, which were dragging her down in the water, she would ask for a rematch and win. Right now, she was just going to happy to have her best friend back. She was going to enjoy the short time she could have together with him before she leaves and school starts.

"Whatsamatter?" Edward asked her, looking over at her frozen form. "Not gonna fight anymore?"

Bella shook her wet hair at him, spraying him with beads of water. "Sure I will. But I can't fight properly with an octopus dragging me down."

"Octopus? Where?" Edward panicked, looking around.

Bella bit her lip to stop her from laughing out loud.

"Oh, it is _so _big with a million tentacles. I bet there are _heaps _around here. It's orange, with blue dots on its head and spits out fire like you can't imagine."

"Mom!" Edward called, running towards the shore. "Mom! There's octopuses in here! Help!"

Bella burst out laughing. "Not so tough, now, are you? It was a joke, alright? Payback for all the times you scared me."

Lunch was cheery. Esme and Renee were happy to get together again. Carlisle and Charlie were already outside fishing together by the dock.

"What's for lunch, mom?" Edward asked.

"Fish and chips," Esme smiled at her only son, patting him gently on the head. "Renee made some homemade tomato sauce so I'll put some on your plate."

"Thanks, Mrs Swan."

"You're welcome, sweetheart. I know Bella loves it," Renee said, trying not to laugh.

"Mom!" Bella groaned. "Don't tell them!"

Renee chuckled and launched into the story about Bella unknowingly stepping on the sundried tomatoes on the way home back from school. It was a hot scorching day and Bella was exhausted. She had asked her mom about what was for afternoon tea and her mother had decided ice cream, then two fish fingers with homemade tomatoes.

"I went out to show Bella the tomatoes I had dried out and I realized in horror that they were all squashed!" Renee continued while Bella's face continued to grow redder and redder.

She looked at Edward, who was laughing at her, and wished that the incident never happened. Now even Edward would think she was stupid.

"Don't worry, Bella!" Edward said, smiling gently at her. "I know it was an accident. C'mon, let's eat."

Bella let out a huge breath and sighed in relief. Maybe things weren't going to be too bad after all.

"I want you to meet my new friends at school, Bella," Edward said after lunch. "Don't worry, they're nice."

"Sure." Bella gulped. She really hoped they were nicer than her friends back at home. She imagined bringing Edward back to Phoenix and introducing him to Jessica and her popular group. He would be the novelty there. Everyone would like him.

"Em!" Edward shouted out, running towards the furthest beach house. "Em! Open up. I want you to meet Bella. She's my best friend."

The door swung open and Bella gasped. There in front of her was the biggest, no – _largest_ second grader she has ever seen. "Hi," he grinned at Bella. "I'm Emmett, but you can call me Em. I'm Edward's friend from school."

Bella waved back. "Hi. I'm Bella Swan. I live in Phoenix now."

"_Phoenix_?" Emmett's eyes widened. "How did you meet Edward then?"

"I-I used to live here."

Edward groaned. He hated the direction this conversation was going. It was going to end up long and boring, just like the ones Charlie and Carlisle had.

"Okay. Em? Where's Rose?"

"Rose!" Emmett shouted back. "Eddie has a new friend for us to meet!"

Bella had never seen such a different twin. Emmett was taller than Edward and had a more beefy body but Rose, Bella thought that she was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at her. She had long blonde hair which was braided neatly and the biggest set of blue eyes Bella had every seen.

"Hi," she said shyly, almost hiding behind Emmett. "I'm Rosalie. Rose. Whatever.."

"I'm Bella," Bella said. "I-It's nice to meet you guys."

Emmett chuckled. "Nice to meet you too. Maybe we can go bike riding one day."

Bella's eyes widened in shock. "_Bike riding_?"

"It means riding a motorbike," Rose said, looking at Bella with an unfathomable expression. "What? Never done that before, huh?"

Bella shook her head. "Never."

"Well, I want to play with my dolls now." Rose turned to leave and Bella was left confused. What was going on? What did Bella do to make her hate her so much?

Edward looked at her consolingly. "Don't worry. It's just Rose."

Bella nodded and tried not to cry. "Right. Just Rose."

Emmett hugged her tightly. "Rose is just shy. She can be mean sometimes but that's because she doesn't know you yet. You guys could become best friends one day."

"Hey!" Edward protested. "She's _my _best friend. No one's taking my place away!"

Bella laughed. "Definitely not. No one would ever want to fight with your water pistols!"

"Yeah! Our awesome water fights. _I _always win."

Emmett looked at Bella and his friend Edward's heated conversation with a exasperated expression. Were they always like this?

"Hey what water fight?" he asked curiously. "Can I join in?"

Edward pulled out his water gun and pulled the plastic trigger at Emmett, splashing water all over his basketball jersey.

"Eddie, what was that for? Mom's going to kill me," Emmett groaned.

Edward smirked. "Well…you asked for it."

…

Bella sat on the water edge, watching her dad fish on the dock. The wonderful weeks of summer had flown by so fast. She wanted to stay here in Forks with her family and Edward forever.

Whenever Edward and Rose went bike riding, Bella could always feel a strange tinge in her chest. It was an unfamiliar feeling but Bella knew that she would find out later what it meant. All she knew was that Rosalie hated her, and that she hated it when Edward took her bike riding. She wished that Charlie would let her, but with Bella, being naturally clumsy, he said that riding would have to wait for a couple of years at least. All this was made worse when Bella told Edward about it. She didn't want Edward to think she was a wimp. She didn't want Edward to think Rose was smarter than her, and was more capable of doing more dangerous stuff.

The most risky thing that Bella had ever done was water gun fights, and when that was compared to a motor bike, it was like nothing at all.

"Want to try, kiddo?" Charlie asked, holding out his rod, his voice breaking her reverie.

Bella blinked. "Sure!"

Charlie watched as her eager daughter took the long rod in her hands. He knew she didn't know a thing about fishing, but she was always so keen to learn new things. She was going to be amazing when she was older. Charlie knew that he would support her no matter what happened.

"Now what, daddy?" Bella asked.

Charlie chuckled. "We wait."

Bella shook her head. "I don't want to wait. I want to fish."

"Well, we can get a net out. I'm sure Carlisle won't mind," Charlie said. "Tomorrow we can get out the tackle box and catch more fish."

Bella held the pole tightly in her hand while looking absentmindedly at the unmoving net.

Her dad had changed over the past year. She could tell. Bella used to see him happy when he came home from work, but now…now there was like a mask on his face. He seemed to always be thinking about something…but she could never tell what it was. Then she thought about how Charlie and her mom used to be so happy together – like everything was easy as breathing. It seemed to be strained now. Smiles and laughter were restrained.

"Daddy," Bella looked at her father with her wide brown eyes. "Why don't you kiss Mommy anymore?"

Charlie almost lost his grip on the fishing net. The question had caught him unguarded and by surprise. He didn't know what to say. "Uh…Daddy's been more busy these days. Work makes daddy very tired."

_This is the last time I'm lying to my daughter. God, please understand that. When she is older, she'll know the whole truth._

"But daddy!" Bella protested. She couldn't believe that her father was _that _tired. It was just one little kiss anyway. She thought back to the nights when her father didn't come home until she fell asleep. Her mother had been on the phone…crying…

"Mommy cries when you don't kiss her," she stated softly. "I don't like it when Mommy cries."

The pain on her father's face was evident. He was stuck. He looked at his beautiful daughter, who has been created by the love between him and Renee…it wasn't like that anymore.

"It's a grown-up thing," Charlie managed to croak out, with tears in his eyes. "No matter what happens, know that Mommy and Daddy are always happy with you and they love you so very much."

"I know, Daddy," Bella answered innocently. She was still confused about what was going on but decided to let it rest. She would know when she was older – when she was smart enough to understand adult business.

The rare sun shone early in the morning and Bella opened the French doors to go to Edward's.

"We're going fishing today!" Bella said happily. "Dad made me a promise. Said you are going to come, too."

Edward let out a whoop. "Yeah! And Dad's taking the tackle box. We're gonna catch millions of fish today!"

"_And _the octopuses too, right?" Bella asked, smirking at Edward, whose smile had slipped off his face in an instant.

"Fine. Octopuses, too. But you have to tackle them."

"No way."

"You're just scared."

"Says the person who screamed at the _joke_."

"Alright kids!" Carlisle greeted them, pausing their bickering. "Now, who wants to carry the tackle box?"

"Me!" Edward said, grabbing it from his father's hand.

"I want the pink fish. And the purple one. And the sparkly ones."

"What fish?" Edward asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Bella snorted. "Haven't you ever fished before?"

Edward shook his head. "Nope."

"They're _bait_. You use the pretty fake fish to lure in the real one."

Bella looked at Edward, who still looked more confused than ever. "Hey," she said softly. "Come on, then. I'll show you what I mean."

Bella took Edward's hand and ran down to the dock. She got out her favourite fishing pole and checked the line, then gently and carefully hooked the bait onto the end. She handed the pole to Edward.

"There's plenty of fish over here. Just swing your wrists a bit and tell me when you feel some weight."

Only minutes later, Edward let out a cheer.

"Got one!" he cried out. "Something's bitting the fake fish!"

Bella got up excitedly and accidently dropped her pole. "Really? Dr Cullen! Edward got something!"

Carlisle sat his pole aside and took Edward's. "Congratulations, son. Your very first whiting."

Bella's eyes widened in awe. She had been on many fishing trips with her father, but she had never actually caught a fish, never mind one which could be eaten.

Edward turned his head to look at Bella, who looked dumbstruck. He was suddenly very proud of himself – he had made Bella Swan speechless.

"We'll share it for lunch," Edward decided. He wanted to share his glory with Bella. After all, the fishing was her idea in the first place. "I'm gonna catch millions today."

Bella managed to catch her first small snow fish by the time Esme called them back for lunch.

Edward and Bella watched in excitement as Renee steamed the fish in the Cullens' kitchen.

"Let's eat, then," Carlisle said, smiling at his son. "My son's first whiting."

"And my first snow fish," Bella added, grinning widely.

"Well, come on then. We have lots to do today," Charlie said softly. "Time to pack up, Bella. The summer's finished."

Bella dropped her fork. "No! I want to stay here longer. I want to stay here with Edward and catch fish."

Renee sighed. "Sweetheart. School starts in a week. Time to get back on track."

Bella looked over at Edward for support. She had so much fun with Edward than she ever did in Phoenix. She wanted to go to school and not be teased by Jessica and her group. She wanted to stay with Edward and Emmett forever.

"Yeah," Edward croaked out. "I love it when Bella's over. It's been awesome."

"Mom?" Bella asked. "Please?"

"Honey, this isn't your reality. Your reality is what is _real_. What you and Edward have is only for the summer. You can't always think about him like he is your life because he isn't. No one you have made friends with here is. You live in Phoenix, sweetie. It's time to grow up."

Bella blinked and hot tears came trailing down her cheek and left the table. She sat in Edward's room, waiting and hoping that he would come in.

"Bella?" Edward asked. "I'm sorry your Mom made you cry."

She nodded and licked her lips, tasting the salty tears. "I know."

"Are you okay?" he asked, touching her hair softly.

Bella wanted to lean into his touch. It felt warm and safe and there was a tingling sensation in her tummy. She didn't know any of these feelings. She didn't know what these feelings meant.

"No. I have to leave today but I don't want to."

"Well…" Edward began. "I made you something."

Bella looked over at Edward curiously. "Yeah?"

Edward smiled. "Yeah. I drew two pictures for you. One is your sandcastle last year and the other is us playing with the water guns."

Bella saw the sandcastle and smiled. She was glad he remembered. "Thanks, Eddie."

"Don't forget me, okay?" He asked her. "I don't know when I'll see you again."

"I'm coming back next year," Bella said confidently. "My dad will take me, or I'll fly here on my magical dragon."

"Magical dragon?" Edward asked curiously.

"Pegasus. The dragon that saved Barbie."

Edward snorted. "That purple thing I saw you sleeping with?"

"Hey! Don't laugh. He gives me nice dreams."

"About Barbie and Ken."

"Shut up, you meanie-poop!"

Edward laughed. "Alright. So...next year. Water gun fight on the first day of summer?"

Bella grinned, showing off her missing front teeth and fist pumped. "Yeah!"

* * *

**Just want to point out that they are seven year olds so I can't really ****write in a Bella or Edward POV as it would sound ridiculous and messed up. It will come later – I promise…maybe even the next chapter. I've decided to skip the eight year old phase and go into nine. It will be the last time I'm skipping an age.  
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**Updates will be every Thursday or Friday. I ****got accepted into a really good school and am currently doing the IB Diploma program so I'll try hard to update as soon as possible.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Age 9: Surprise

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N Unbeta'ed is unbeta'ed so please overlook my mistakes. **

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**Age 9**

Bella avoided going home soon in the afternoon by staying at the school library. The elementary school offered a chess program every afternoon and she took the opportunity to get away from her mother. Her friends would call her a nerd or a smarty pants but she didn't care. She knew they were just teasing her. Almost everyone admired her now. She had won the spelling bee for the second time in a row, as well as coming first in several Maths competitions.

The only problem was Jessica and her group. They were rude to her. Bella would sometimes find herself with tears in her eyes. Jessica always called Bella a dork and it made Bella feel awful inside.

When times were dark, and her father wasn't at home, she always wrote to Edward – just little pieces whenever she felt down. She knew _exactly _what she was going to write today.

Pulling out a piece of paper, she began to write while waiting for the chess students to arrive.

_To Edward_

_Jessica is so mean to me! She called me a dork today and I wanted to cry. _

_Mommy is upset all the time and she won't tell me why. She says I'll understand when I am older. I can't wait for that to happen._

_From Bella_

She hated when her parents fought with each other. She knew that she didn't understand why but it was obvious to her that Mom and Dad were not happy living together anymore. Bella, being curious as she was, once crept into her mother's room finding that she was crying, curled up in the bed.

"Mom!" Bella gasped. "Mom, are you okay?"

Renee stilled her sobs when she heard her young daughter. She knew that her baby girl was frightened but she was in no position to comfort her. "Nothing, sweetheart. I'm just having an off day today. I'll be better tomorrow."

Bella shook her head. She wasn't going to fall for _that_ one again. "But _Mommy_, I _hate _it when you cry. Why doesn't Dad ever comfort you?"

"When your father's busy," Renee said, struggling to tell her the truth. It was not going to be possible right now. Her little girl was not old enough to understand even though she was growing up so fast. She went in for a half-truth. "When Daddy is busy and comes home later, it makes me sad and worried. It's just like how you feel."

"I know," Bella said softly. "It makes me sad but Dad works very hard."

"He does," Renee agreed.

"Why don't you go check the mailbox," she asked, trying to change the subject. "Maybe Edward has written back."

Bella's face suddenly lit up like a child on Christmas day. "Oh! Thank you for reminding me, Mom!"

Bella ran downstairs and flung open the front door, racing to the mailbox and sure enough, there was not just one, but _two _letters addressed to her. Two letters!

Bella squealed in excitement. This was probably the only time she actually wanted to read.

Peeling the tab off the envelope carefully she flipped the carefully creased letter and began to read.

_To Bella_

_I think school is now awesome. I love it. I have lots and lots of friends and heaps and heaps of awards from sport._

_Everything's awesome._

_Are you cool with your parents? Dad says that Renee is having a bad time._

_Hope to see you soon._

_From Edward_

_Hope to see you soon_. Bella wondered what that meant. Spring was coming to a close and it was almost Summer now. She really wanted to visit Edward again. She wasn't able to go last year because her parents took her on a road trip.

She shook her head. This time, she wasn't going to let the chance slip away. _This_ time, she was going to go. This time, she was going to convince her parents.

She opened the second letter.

_To Bella_

_I know. It's me again. _

_I hope you can come this summer. It will be fun with Em and everyone here. They'll love you. It's a sure thing._

_See ya soon!_

_From Edward_

"Mom!" Bella shouted. "Can we go this year, please?"

"Where?" her mom called back. "To visit Edward, I guess?"

"Of course!" Bella rolled her eyes. What else would she get excited from this time of the year?

"We'll see. Ask Daddy when he gets back."

Bella went back to her room. There were a lot of things to think about. She wondered if Edward was having a good time in Forks with all his friends. She wondered if he thought about her as much as she thought of him. She missed his playful, carefree teasing and laughter. There was so much to him that Bella loved. When she was near him, it was the only time she felt like she could truly become herself. She wasn't like Jessica, who was loud and talkative. Everyone in the class had been shocked when she kissed Mike outside in the sandpit.

Bella could never imagine her first kiss, but she sure as hell did not want it to be like Jessica's. It was a few sloppy seconds.

Bella thought it was disgusting.

The front door slamming open downstairs made Bella snap out of her daydreams and hurry downstairs.

"Dad!" Bella said, going down the stairs two steps at a time. "We're going to Edward's place this year, right?"

Charlie shrugged out of his jacket and hanged up his gun on the hook by the front door. He looked down at his little daughter, whose hopeful wide brown eyes stared at him impatiently.

"Well," Charlie began. He loved taunting his little girl. "Has my beautiful girl been good this year? Did you get good grades on your report card?"

Bella fist pumped in her mind. If her father was going to ask her these questions, she would get whatever she wanted.

"Straight As, Daddy."

Charlie grinned and lifted Bella up, swinging her around. "Well, I don't see why not, then!"

Bella beamed. "Thank you so much, Dad. I can't wait to go to Edward's place. I miss him so much."

…

Edward waited patiently on the water's edge. This year was going great for him. He made heaps of new friends. Jasper was a guy who just moved from Texas and he and Edward clicked almost instantly. Emmett was still his best friend, even though he teased him about a lot of things.

Edward's hair was a rare shade of bronze and even though he was nine, his body was becoming more toned from all the swimming and basketball. Girls were starting to like him, which made him feel a little uncomfortable, but he started to notice girls as well.

Tanya, a girl almost the same height as Edward with strawberry blonde hair, once asked him to join her birthday party. Edward eventually did reluctantly to not make her upset.

"Eddie!"

Edward turned around, disappointed to find Rosalie instead of Bella. He had been waiting all day. She was supposed to be here today.

"Hey, Rose."

"What are you doing here?" Rose asked, flipping her long golden blonde hair back. "Waiting for someone?"

Edward nodded. "Bella."

Rosalie grimaced. Even though she only met her once, there was something about her that prevented her to become friends. "Okay."

Edward's eyebrows furrowed in irritation. "Why don't you two get along well? She didn't do anything, you know?"

"I know," Rose answered flippantly. "That's the problem. We don't click, I guess."

"Where're you going now?"

"Tanya's."

It was Edward's turn to roll his eyes. He didn't understand what was so fun with hanging around Tanya. All she wanted to do was play with her dolls. Edward imagined dragging her by her hair and tossing her onto the beach and into the muddy lake Bella loved to play in.

It was hilarious.

Edward burst into laughter at the thought.

"Wanna share? What's so funny?"

Edward smiled. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"Okay."

Edward stilled and turned around again. Ho could it be? That wasn't Rose's voice, or Tanya's. It was a sweet, musical voice.

It was Bella.

"Bella!" Edward grinned. "Can't believe you're here! I missed you last year when Dad said you couldn't come. How was the road trip? Did it beat our water gun fight?"

"Road trip was boring," Bella said, smiling slyly, fingering the water gun in her pocket. "Remember the deal we made last time I was here?"

Edward blinked and the next thing he knew that happened, he was drenched in water.

"Hey!" he said indignantly. "What was that for?"

"It was our _deal_," Bella smirked.

"You're gonna lose," Edward said, before plunging deep into the water. He filled water in his mouth and came back up to spit out the water at Bella, who was looking in another direction.

"Ha! I got you!"

"That wasn't fair. I wasn't looking for where you were!" Bella protested.

"Hey, Edward!" A voice nearby called out.

Bella turned around and her heart sank. "Oh, hi Rosalie."

Ignoring her, she turned her head towards Edward. "Do you want to come play with Tanya and me? You don't have to get all dirty and smelly with Bella."

Edward looked confused. "I thought you were with Tanya."

"I was, but I missed you. Come on!"

"What about Bella?"

Rosalie shrugged. She was losing her patience. "I don't know, okay? Just come on. Tanya's waiting for you."

Edward shook his head firmly. "No. I don't want to play with girls."

"Bella's a girl."

"Bella's my best friend."

Bella didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She loved the way Edward defended her and called her his best friend, but she didn't know if he saw her as a girl at all. She knew she wasn't like Rosalie or probably Tanya, even though she had never met her before. Rosalie was like Jessica. They were both tall and beautiful. Bella, on the other hand, was shorter and had dark brown hair. She didn't wear flashy clothes which had big name brands. She didn't even have her ears pierced. There was nothing noticeable about her.

She casted her eyes downwards and avoided Rosalie and Edward's gazes.

Edward touched her shoulder gently. "Are you okay?"

Rose snorted. "'Course she is. She's breathing and everything."

There was a burning inside Edward's chest that had never happened to him before. "Don't talk about her like that!"

"Whatever. So you want to be a loser when school starts?"

"I don't have to be friends with you to be popular because I already _am_. I have Em, Jazz, and Alice. So _there_!"

"I'll tell Em you were mean to me."

"Em's _always _on my side!" Edward growled.

"Okay guys, break it up!" Esme said, chiming in, running towards the bickering kids. She hated it when Edward was in a fight – it wasn't gentlemanly, especially when it was with a girl. "Time for lunch. Rosalie, would you like to join us?"

Rosalie smiled sweetly. "Thank you so much, Mrs Cullen. I'd love to join you guys for lunch."

_Such a nice, little girl, _Esme thought. _Just like my little Edward._

Rose looked pleased with herself and Bella gave her the stink eye.

_God, she hated her so much._

…

"Bella?" Edward called out. After lunch, instead of going to his bedroom, he watched Bella walk away to the beach. "What are you doing? Are you sad?"

His eyes widened in horror at the recognition. "Oh no! What did Rose do to you?"

"Nothing."

"Are you okay?"

"No. Everything's just peachy."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Why don't we do something. The mean witch is gone so we can have fun now."

"Water-gun fighting?"

Edward shook his head. "Nope. I want to introduce you to Alice and Jazz."

Bella hesitated. She knew Edward just wanted her to meet his friends, but what if they turned out like Rosalie? She wouldn't want to come back here if everyone hated her for no reason at all.

Edward sensed her hesitation. "Bella, I _promise _they aren't like Rose."

Alice tuned out to be a complete opposite of what Bella imagined her to be. Her short black hair and small stature made her seem like a pixie.

"Bella!" she squealed. "It's so nice to meet you. I can tell we're going to be _best _friends very soon."

Edward coughed. "Alice has this kind of 'future-telling' thing. She always does it, and she's normally right."

"Yeah," Jazz chimed in.

Jasper had blonde wavy hair and was the same height as Edward. He seemed cool and collected, and Bella found herself sigh in relief.

_There was __certainly no mean witch over here_, Bella thought.

"We just _have _to go shopping together, Bella. Please say yes," Alice begged her, holding onto her arm. "My mom will take us, and I'll give you a hair makeover. I can do _plaits _now!"

Bella smiled at her. She hated shopping and makeovers, but she was determined to make at least another friend here. "Sure, Alice. Just tell me when."

Alice hugged Bella tightly. "Thank you!"

Bella can't help but laugh at her a little. Alice over-reacted to the smallest of things. "No problem, Alice."

"So where are you going to now?" Jasper asked.

Bella looked over at Edward, who was looking back at her and shrugged. "Don't know. Edward just told me we were going to come here to visit you guys."

"Can we please play Monopoly?" Alice asked. "_Please?_"

Edward and Jasper groaned in agreement.

"Whatever you say, Alice."

Halfway through the game, it was clear that Bella was the one who was going to win. She had all the railways and the most expensive hotels.

"Ha! I'm going to _win_," she declared happily.

Suddenly there was a knock on the door but Bella ignored it and dropped the two dice. Double six.

"Yeah!" she exclaimed, realizing that she landed on Go. "That's two hundred dollars to _me_."

"Bella!" a voice called outside the door. "I know you're in there."

"Damn," Bella mumbled. "I think it's mom."

The look on Renee's face was worried and anxious. "We're going back to our beach house. Daddy wants to talk to you."

Bella shook her head and crossed her arms. "Nope. I'm staying right here."

"Bella, we're _going_."

"Will I be back later?"

Renee sighed exasperatedly. Her daughter was so stubborn. "Yes, that's fine."

"I'll going to say bye to Edward and my new friends, okay?'

"I'll be waiting right here, sweetheart."

There was some uneasy tension on the walk back to the Swans' beach house. Renee didn't know how her nine year old daughter would take the news. Her main priority right now was to tell her that everything was just going to be the same, bar a few minor changes.

"Daddy!" Bella exclaimed, kissing him on the cheek.

"Bella, honey. There's something Mommy and I have to tell you."

"Are we going staying here?" Bella's eyes widened with hope.

Charlie's heart sank. He didn't know how to tell his daughter the news. He had plenty experience telling distraught parents that their children were reported missing, but now this was his own daughter. He had to think before he said it.

"Your Mommy and Daddy are separating. Mommy's going to live in Phoenix and we aren't."

Bella froze. "What? Why? Mom, don't you want to live with me?"

Renee felt a tear slide down her cheek. Her daughter's question, despite its innocence, hurt her in more ways than she thought possible.

She tried to explain. "I love you, sweetie, but Daddy and Mommy aren't getting along well. We fight too much because we are different people now."

"What about me?" Bella asked. "What do I do?"

Charlie cleared his throat. "Everything's going to be the same, except that Mommy won't live with you anymore."

"But I can call her every day?"

Charlie nodded firmly. This was something he would not deny her. "Definitely. And we will go back every summer to visit her, or we can come back here. Maybe Mommy can take Edward and his friends to visit you sometimes, too."

"Really?" Bella couldn't believe her ears.

Renee nodded. "Sweetheart, do you know what this separation is called?"

Bella shook her head.

"It is called a divorce."

Bella blinked. She didn't know what a divorce was. "Oh."

"Your mother and I may not love each other anymore, but we both love you. We will always be with you when you need us and we will always love you."

Bella hugged her father. "Thank you."

"Where are we going to live, then?" Bella asked. Her heart was pounding fast. _Please let us stay here. I want to stay here with Edward and my new friends forever._

"I got a new job in Syracuse, New York. I've been investing in an apartment for a while now. It's ours."

"_New York_?" Bella asked. "No! That is so far away from Mom!" _And Edward, and Alice, and Jasper, and Emmett._

"We're going to be leaving tonight. To set up our new place."

"I don't want to go!"

Bella was becoming worried. She didn't know how to take it. She felt like she didn't know anything anymore.

"It's alright, Bella. There's nothing wrong with you. It's not your fault your parents are like that," Edward said, when Bella told him the news. "We'll still be friends, right?"

"Friends, forever," Bella agreed, holding onto Edward's body tightly.

"_Best_ friends." Edward added with a smile on his face.

* * *

**Promise next chapter is a BPOV or EPOV. They're growing up so fast. Next will come the eleven year olds. **

**Update will be in the next week or so.**

**Please review and share your thoughts. Should I continue?**

**Thanks for reading**


	4. Age 11: New York, New York

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N Unbeta'ed is unbeta'ed so please overlook my mistakes. **

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**Age 11**

**BPOV**

New York was such a crowded city. It was so different from what I was used to. I hated my dad for making this decision to move here. It took so long for me to make some friends in Phoenix, and when I finally found someone I thought related well to me, I had to move on. It was as though the only friends I could have had to be miles away – in Forks.

The sun in beginning to soak into my small bedroom but it was still a little chilly. I didn't want to know if this was going to be a good summer. I was either going to stay here, with Dad, and Mum could come over, or we were, hopefully, going to visit Edward again. I missed his face, his easy laughter, and his humor that was so rare in this populous city. I can smell my dad cooking breakfast. It was such a distinct smell – like something was burning.

"Dad!" I yelled. "You're burning the bacon, or eggs, or whatever it is you're cooking."

I could hear the chair scraping on the wooden floor as he scurried to the kitchen to fix his breakfast before he sets the apartment on fire.

My dad was a businessman. He works in an office every day with air conditioner. He would get up early every morning, and get home late at night. It was a complete different schedule than when we were in Phoenix and Forks. Being chief police in a small town meant an easy life. There were no big cases, no murders, no schemes – nothing but rain.

Living with my dad only made me wonder why he didn't get married again, or why he didn't try dating again. Surely, it would be lonely to live alone when I move out.

I went to a private school in the city. I had everything but friends. I was the social outcast. By living in Phoenix, according to the students here, meant that you were a natural cheerleader, a natural blonde, and a naturally tanned person. Which I wasn't. I was the exact opposite.

My skin was pale, and my hair was a dark shade of brown. I wasn't clumsy or anything, but playing volleyball was awful for me – I preferred football or the sports guys play. The only person who ever kept me company was Angela. She was like me, studious, and whatever it entailed.

I flickered off my night lamp and grabbed the granola bar off the table.

"Bye, Dad. Have a good day at work," I mumbled on my way out.

He grunted as a response.

I checked the mailbox for any letters directed to me and there it was: Edward's response.

I flicked it open in excitement.

_Hey Bella_

_How are you?_

_School's awesome. __I got into the football team and I'm stoked. It's AMAZING. Emmett got in, too. _

_Too bad it's almost the holidays, but I guess the good thing is that you're going to be coming over. You will, right?_

_I hope so. _

_I get bored sometimes. _

_From your best friend, Edward_

No one would ever have any idea how happy I was seeing how Edward signed off his letters to me. He would always end with 'your best friend'. I couldn't believe I was so lucky to have a friend like him.

I knew he would get into some sport teams. He was amazingly agile, and fast, like me. I remembered back two years ago, when we were on the beach, playing with water guns. We had so much fun. A thrill went down my spine as I thought about what could possibly happen this year. I missed him last year, because his parents took him to Paris for the summer.

I kept by Angela for the whole day. There wasn't gym, which for I was grateful but Kate and Charlotte were the most horrible girls I have yet to encounter.

I have never sworn in my life, and hearing them say stuff like 'dumb bitch' or 'stupid shit' really hit me somewhere close to heart.

"How was your day, Bells?" Dad asked, trying to making conversation during dinner.

I smiled at him. "It was great, dad."

"Has Edward said anything yet?"

I grinned big this time. "He asked me to visit him! We can go, right?"

Charlie chuckled. "Sure thing, baby girl."

I let out a whoop and leaned across the small table to kiss him on the cheek. "Thank you so much!"

Dinner was much more enjoyable. After I finished it, I quickly wrote back to Edward.

_Hey Edward_

_I'm great. School's not, though. _

_I miss you heaps. Dad just told me that we will go to your place (or La Push again!) for the summer!_

_Can't wait. _

_This summer is going to be awesome._

_From your best friend, Bella_

The letter was short but it explained a lot. I was going to Forks! This summer! And Edward was going to be there with me!

I suddenly couldn't contain my excitement.

…

My stomach was clenched with excitement and fear. I knew it was just Edward I was seeing, and it didn't seem like a great deal to me, but I wondered if he changed. At all. People do all the time. I just wondered if he did.

"Bella!"

The door opened and there Edward stood. He was definitely taller than me now. His hair was wild and messy, like he had just rolled out of bed but I liked it. It suited him.

"I missed you so much!" He said, pulling me in for a hug.

"Me, too," I laughed.

I put my hands on his shoulders to get a good look at him, my eyes searching for any changes.

"You're taller," I managed to say. I was still mesmerized by his green eyes. They haven't changed, but it seemed that they got brighter every time I saw them.

"I know." He grinned big. "Hey, shorty."

"I'm _not _short," I defended, crossing my arms. "You're just unusually tall."

Edward smirked at me and it was beginning to irritate me. I could tell he was going to make fun of me again. "Or maybe you're just unusually short."

_You guessed right_, I thought irritably.

"Whatever." It was best to shrug it off.

_Don't let it get to you, Bella. He's Edward, remember? You're best friend?_

"Come on in, then."

I raised my eyebrows. "What? I thought we were going to the beach again."

He smiled at me. "We are. But I forgot to pack. Just let me get my stuff. You're going to help me, okay? I'm not good at packing stuff."

I huffed. "So, just because I'm a girl it means that I usually know how to do all this stuff?"

"No, but I could really use a hand right now, you know?" His eyes were begging me to understand.

"Okay."

"We're going to rent the beach house next to yours this year," he continued, while packing.

I squealed in excitement. "Really? That's awesome!"

He laughed loudly. "I know! And Alice is coming over too. So is Emmett."

"And Rose?" I asked, with sick anticipation.

"Nope! She's not coming."

"Awesome!" I exclaimed and I meant it. I didn't really like her. She was more or less like the girls back at school.

"So how's the big city?" Edward asked.

I shrugged. "It's not too bad. I don't have many friends, though."

"Don't worry, Bella," he said, helping me dump his clothes into the backseat of the car. "One day, you'll find someone who wants to be friends with you."

"Really?" I asked, my heart not taking it in.

"Positive. And Bella," he added with a smile on his face. "They're just stupid. Everyone who hates you are stupid."

I smiled back.

If only that were the case.

I stared at the car, not knowing what to do.

"What are you waiting for?" Edward asked, hopping into the car. "You're going to walk there?"

I laughed and shook my head. "I guess not."

I jumped into the car and waved hi to Carlisle and Esme.

"Where's Charlie?" Carlisle asked.

"Already at the beach, fishing."

I loved fishing with Charlie, not that I get much chances in New York to do that.

Carlisle chuckled and turned to look at me. "I guess he doesn't have much opportunity to do that in the big city."

I grinned. "Nope. It's easier to fish _cars_ than anything there."

"Are you settling down well?" Esme asked, her voice concerned.

"It's okay over there. It's just so _big_," I said exasperatedly, wishing that Esme would understand. "I could get lost _anywhere_."

Esme, Carlisle and Edward laughed.

"Not funny," I grumbled. "It really is that big."

"Can we go there, Mom?" Edward asked. "I want to see where Bella lives."

"I'll ask Charlie if we can make an arrangement," Esme decided.

"Maybe this summer we'll be fishing cars, not whiting," Carlisle mused.

"Really?" Edward asked, with a hopeful expression on his face. "Really?"

"That would be so awesome!" I exclaimed.

"I want to meet your friends," Edward added.

My heart sank. "I don't have many," I answered sadly. "No one like hanging out with me."

Edward's eyes widened in shock. "What? But you're nice and smart! Who doesn't want to hang out with you?"

I laughed bitterly. "You'd be surprised."

"Don't worry," Edward said confidently, trying to make me happier. "I'll find you some."

"Don't worry, sweetheart," Carlisle said softly. "It's only because you're a new girl and everyone's just curious about you."

I wished that were the case. What if Edward came to New York with me and saw that my only friend was Angela. One friend only, and the rest were enemies? Or at the least, only classmates?

"Daddy!" I yelled as I ran over to him. "Did you catch any fish?"

"Well hi, Bells! Didn't expect to see you so early. What's up?" Dad chuckled as I grabbed the fishing rod from his hand.

"Edward wants to visit New York," I said excitedly. "Can he come?"

"Aw, looks like someone doesn't seem so excited about the beach anymore," he teased me.

I rolled my eyes and leaned into him. "Please, Daddy?"

"Of course, baby girl. How about we spend a few days here, and then head back up?"

That plan seemed great. "Thanks, Dad!"

I handed him back the fishing rod and skipped back to Edward, who was waiting for the answer patiently on the sandy beach.

"What did he say? I can come?" he asked, standing up.

"Yes!" I squealed. "You're coming with us to New York!"

"Ugh, isn't that fantastic," a snotty voice behind us muttered.

I turned my head around and saw a tall girl with strawberry blonde hair. Her face was so beautiful it almost hurt to look. The striking blue eyes reminded me of the flashy cars in the city.

"Hi, Tanya," Edward said. "Are you okay?"

"Fine thanks," she said flippantly. "I just want to ask you if you were busy, because I want to go see a movie with someone."

_Was this __really how to ask a guy out?_ I wondered. _No, it couldn't be. They were only friends. Edward would have told me._

"I'm kind of busy right now," Edward laughed nervously, running his hand through his wild bronze hair. "This is Bella."

"Hi," I said as warmly as I could.

Tanya didn't pass me a glance and I lowered my head. _What did I do now? _I asked my feet.

"Say hi to Bella, Tanya," Edward said sharply. "She's my best friend so you better be nice to her."

"Hi," Tanya said, her eyes piercing me. I felt like I was being x-rayed or something. It wasn't a nice feeling.

"So, this is Edward's best friend, huh?" Tanya huffed. "Doesn't matter. After all, you're dating _me_, right Eddie?"

Both me and Edward's mouth dropped in astonishment.

"What?" I whispered. Edward never mentioned this to me. Was this a secret or something?"

"It's nothing, Bella. I'm with no one. I would've told you," he said softly.

"Wow," Tanya said sarcastically. "So you tell her everything do you? Did you tell her that _I _was your first kiss, too?"

I was completely shocked by this new information.

"No," I gulped. "No, he never mentioned that."

Edward's face was unreadable.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything about the girls."

"It's okay," I said, even though my heart felt like it was cracking. I didn't know why I was feeling this way. I knew from the beginning that I wasn't good enough for him, but it still hurt to see him being closer to someone else.

"I'm the stupid head now," he groaned. "See, Tanya? Now my best friend won't even talk to me."

"I'm talking to you," I said. "I just…I just spaced out for a few minutes."

"Oh."

The silence was so uncomfortable. Tanya was looking very pleased with herself. She was now looking between me and Edward with a smug smile on her face. Edward, on the other hand, was grimacing, staring into nowhere.

"So who wants to go rafting?" I asked, hopeful to break the ice.

"Rafting?" Edward raised his eyebrows. "Really? You know how to do that?"

I nodded happily.

"Awesome!" Edward yelled, fist pumping into the air. "Come on! Time to build a raft."

"We're going to sail into the ocean," I sang.

I saw Tanya staring at me like I had grown two heads. "What?" I asked her, with a sly smile on my face. "Too scared are you?"

"The water is disgusting."

"Naw," I answered her. "It's fun."

It was good when it was just me and Edward. We found some logs in the forest and dragged them into the sand.

"What about strings?" Edward asked.

"Oh," I said, then I thought of an idea. "Hang on, just wait here."

I ran to my dad who was still sitting on the dock.

"Dad!" I called out. "Do you have any rope?"

Dad grabbed the bucket full of knotted ropes and threw it to me. I caught it in my hand, pleased that I could and Tanya probably couldn't.

"Edward, look what Dad gave me!"

We tied the logs together with rope, and knotted it to the side. Edward helped me push the heavy raft onto the shore.

"It's _floating_!" he said in surprise.

"I know, right?" I laughed, surprised also. It was only my first attempt and it was a success. Maybe the few days here were going to be enjoyable after all.

"That's _awesome_,Bella!"

"Wanna try?" I asked him, pointing to the floating raft.

Edward smiled nervously. "It might not hold my weight."

I laughed. Edward was a thin but toned boy – he surely didn't weigh much. "Just try."

I watched in amazement as he lifted himself lightly onto the planks of wood. His hands gripped the edge tightly as he slowly managed to put both his legs onto the raft.

"Just your body, now," I whispered to him, hoping not to break his concentration.

"I can't do it," he spoke through his gritted teeth. "Not working."

"You can do it, Edward!" I attempted to cheer.

It didn't work, but I could see him with renewed determination.

"Edward!" I called out, surprised. "You're on! You got on!"

"You're turn now!" he said, diving into the water.

Oh crap.

"C'mon, Bella," he said, smiling softly. "You can do it. You saw me going on."

I nodded. "I know, but…"

Edward covered my mouth, forcing me to be silent. "No buts. Get on!"

It was a lot more difficult than how I imagined. The raft was wobbly and unstable; I was almost certain I was going to fall off. I got my body onto the wooden planks first, leaving my legs hanging in the water. I was thankful the raft didn't get further out into the sea incase my dad saw me. He would kill me. For a chief police, even this was considered dangerous.

"You're on, now!" Edward said, bringing me back to present. "Try standing up!"

"Hey!" I said indignantly. "You didn't do that."

"Just try."

I rolled my eyes and sucked in a deep breath. Here it goes…

The next thing I knew, I was completely soaked.

"Told you it didn't work," I looked at Edward, accusing him with my eyes.

He wasn't paying attention to me at all. Edward was laughing himself silly, lying on the sand. I grumbled and waddled back to shore.

"That was funny, B," he said, controlling himself when he saw my pissed off face. He was holding his tummy, which was probably aching right now.

"Whatever, E," I said. "It wasn't you anyway."

"We could try again tomorrow. And I could go first," he offered.

I shrugged, not in the mood to talk to him.

"Or," he added with a smile. _Okay, it was really beginning to tick me off._ "Or, we could swim to New York."

"You don't swim to New York, Edward," I groaned and rolled my eyes at him. Didn't he know this sort of stuff? "You catch a plane there. How can someone swim on land?"

Edward smiled. "Okay, B. You get a point for that one."

"One hundred points," I bargained.

"Sure," he agreed easily. "But I'd still have more points than you if that were the case."

Four more days to go…just four more days to go.

…

**Four days later**

We were all set to go.

We were at Sea-Tac airport ready to depart. Edward was squealing excitedly next to me. He had never been to a big city, never mind New York.

Dad's phone rang and to my surprise, he handed the phone to me.

"Hello?" I said nervously into the phone.

"Bella! It's me."

Oh. My mom. I felt guilty for not thinking about her as often as I should.

"Where are you now?" she asked. "Are you in Forks? In La Push? In New York? In – "

"Mom," I interrupted her loudly. "I'm fine, and I'm currently on the way to New York with Edward and his family."

"I'm coming then," she said confidently. I wondered vaguely if it was a snap decision.

"Okay," I said.

"Bye, honey. Take care."

"Love you lots, mom," I muttered. "Miss you heaps."

"Miss you, too," she whispered before hanging up.

"Mom's coming to visit," I told my dad.

"That's great. More company, the better."

Esme was ecstatic that she was going to see her best friend again, so much that she immediately called up my mom to check up on her again.

Edward snorted as we got into our seats on the plane. "Never seen my mother like this."

"It _is_ a little weird," I agreed.

"I'm so excited, too!" Edward said. "Dad said we could visit the Statue of Liberty and – "

"It's not New York City, though," I reminded him. "We're going to Syracuse."

Edward's face fell. "What's that."

"It's in New York, but it's not that interesting," I told him.

"Oh."

"But of course we can go visit the Statue of Liberty!" I said, feeling sorry for Edward, who was looking like Christmas has been cancelled. "It's not far away. We could take the ferry and get close with it."

"Really?" Edward asked, his eyebrows shooting upwards. "We can actually _touch _it?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why not?"

"You're right," Edward decided. "This is really going to be the best holiday ever."

…

I had never been to the Statue of Liberty National Monument, but it sure didn't disappoint.

"Just move a little to the left, sweetheart," Renee said to Edward. She was trying to capture a picture of all of us together.

"This is awesome," Edward whispered in my ear. "This is so awesome. I'm going to show all my friends when I get back to school."

"Me, too," I responded.

"Angela's a nice girl," Edward said after a while.

I nodded, trying to focus on Esme and Renee who were taking turns snapping pictures of us together.

I didn't really want to think about the past few days. They weren't horrible – but it left a somehow bitter taste in my memory when I recalled them.

_**Flashback**_

"_This is Angela," __I introduced to Edward. _

"_Hi," she smiled kindly at him and I was relieved that he did it back to her, too. "I'm Angela, Bella's friend from school."_

"_Oh wow," said a nasally voice behind the three of us. _

_I turned around and it was Kate and Irina. Why did I choose to meet up with Ang in the shopping centre again?_

_Crap._

"_This is Edward," __I said to the two girls. "He's my best friend from Forks."_

"_Oh really?" Kate asked sarcastically. __"Forks…as in, like Spoons?"_

"_Hey!" Edward said defensively and I groaned internally. This could be bad. This could be __very bad. "Don't say that, and don't be mean to Bella. You know she doesn't deserve it."_

"_Looks like little Bella got herself a boyfriend," __Irina smirked. _

"_He is not!" __I argued hotly. How dare they say that to someone they didn't know at all? _

"_Don't worry, Bella," __Angela said smoothly. "Just ignore them. They're idiots."_

"_Exactly, Bella," Edward said. __"Everything will be fine."_

_**End Flashback**_

That was the last time I ever went into that place again.

Once I knew what kind of people went there, I would always avoid it like a plague.

"Irina and Kate aren't very nice, though," Edward mused. "They're a little like Rose and Tanya."

I nodded. "I know. I was just thinking about that."

"They're gonna realize you're an awesome friend to hang out with one day."

"Hopefully," I said, fidgeting with my shirt hem.

"Done!" Esme said happily. "Who's ready for the last picnic?"

"I'm not," Edward grumbled to his mother. "Why does this holiday have to be so short?"

"You know we can't stay long with Bella. She has her friends and you're going to be taking up all the time."

"It's fine," I injected quickly to Esme. "Edward can stay longer." _Please, please let him stay longer. Forever would be even better. _

"Bella, you've got other friends, too. You mustn't be with Edward all the time. He doesn't live here after all."

"Yeah, I know," I replied glumly.

"Still best friends, B?" Edward asked with a small smile on his face.

"Forever and ever and ever," I said, reaching out to hug him.

I wished I lived closer to him, and that I could see him every day. I wished that _that_ divorce never happened and that my parents were still happy in love together. And…and finally, I wished so badly that I was Edward's first kiss, and that I was somehow worthy of him.

* * *

**Wow! They're growing up fast, aren't they?**

**Next u****pdate will be not longer than two weeks. I'm sorry for this notice but this story is now going to be beta'ed by PTB so that there will be no more stupid mistakes and everything. This should only be for this week. After the next chapter, updates should return to normal. **

**Thanks to all who read and reviewed.**


	5. Age 12: The Only Exception

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**A/N Unbeta'ed is unbeta'ed so please overlook my mistakes. **

**IMPORTANT A/N at the end  
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* * *

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**Age 12**

**BPOV**

Cars were disgusting. The way they honked and beeped through the thick congestion every morning 'til the evening. It was already enough to drive me nuts but it wasn't just cars I hated; I did t like the middle school girls, either. Everyone was bitchy and ridiculous. Girls would start a rumor when there was absolutely nothing happening. Luckily for me, I wasn't known well enough for a rumor to start over for.

Some things I noticed in middle school were that there were many dances. Guys would ask their girls out as though it was as easy as breathing. For all I know, Kate had already started officially dating James, a guy from our year. Many girls had been kissed and had guys chasing after them but I wasn't one of them.

What surprised me most was that I didn't even want to be.

I concentrated at school, hoping that I could get good grades so that I would be able to visit Edward. It would be stupid to say, but the amazing summers with Edward were all I lived for. He was really an amazing guy, and I couldn't help but be jealous of all the girls he talked on and on about.

_Flashback_

_The phone rang and I __hesitated to pick up, in case it was my mother, who was harassing me non-stop to visit her, even though there was still school. _

_I breathed in a tiny breath and answered the phone, bracing myself for a high pitched squeal from my mother. _

"_Hello?" _

_I stilled. The voice took me off guard. __It was Edward. Unbelievable. _

"_Edward?" I __whispered quietly, not really quite believing it. "Is that really you?"_

"_Come on, B!" he laughed. __"Who else would it be?"_

"_I don't know," __I giggled. "My mother?"_

_I heard Edward snort. __"Yeah, right. Like I sound like her."_

_I shook my head. __"'Course not. You're my best friend."_

"_I know."_

_I could tell that he wanted to tell me something, and that he was smiling slightly. _

"_What's wrong?" I __asked._

"_I asked Tanya out," he said abruptly. "Remember her?"_

_I felt my heart stop for a second. __What? I wasn't completely sure I heard correctly. Surely there had to be some kind of misunderstanding. I hoped he wasn't rubbing it in my face or anything. It was Edward, after all. I was the one who knew him through and through. _

"_What?" I asked, hoping that I didn't sound rude._

"_I ask__ed Tanya out and she said yes!" Edward exclaimed excitedly. "I never asked a girl out before. She's my first girlfriend, can you believe that? I actually did it!"_

"_Wow," I smiled weakly, my voice cracking. __"That's amazing."_

_End Flashback_

"Hello, Bella!" Angela sang sweetly, hugging me tightly. "Last day of school."

"I know," I said glumly.

"Are you going anywhere?"

I grinned. "Nope, but my friends are coming here."

Angela's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh my God! Edward? Is it him?"

I laughed. "Of course!"

"Can I meet him again?" she asked, hopeful.

"'Course you can. He's bringing the whole group here, can you imagine that? Alice, Jazz, the whole lot!"

"That's _brilliant_!" Angela breathed.

I hugged Angela tightly. I felt bad that she didn't have friends apart from me. We were both in the same shoes and would probably always be. I always dreamed of having my own prince charming to take me away and make me popular at school, but I knew it would never happen. Guys over here only liked girls with boobs and I had none. Yet.

"You guys could come to my summer house and ride horses if you want," she offered shyly, looking down at her fingers.

Oh. Wow. She really didn't think I would reject an amazing idea like that, would she?

"That would be heaven," I said quietly. "Thank you so much for offering."

Angela smiled. "It's okay. I'm sure they don't have a chance like that over there anyway. Doesn't that place always rain?"

I nodded. "Always. Non-stop."

The day passed by in a blur. Irina was a pain like every day of the past year and I always laughed out loud when she got a detention for making out with a boy behind the classroom door. Of course she wasn't humiliated though, I doubt she would ever be. A girl like her – beautiful, blonde, face full of makeup. She sure didn't have any insecurities.

"How's school today?" Charlie asked me, without a glance. He was always watching the baseball or whatever sport it was on the television. It was his life and it was ironic that Mom was now dating a baseball coach.

It was like she was rubbing it in his face.

"Same as usual," I replied tersely. "Irina got a detention today."

"That girl?" Charlie shook his head. "Rich families never produce good kids."

"Except for Edward," I muttered, heading towards the kitchen to fix the dinner.

"Except for Edward," Charlie agreed. "Say, has he been contacting you these days? I didn't get any letters from the mailbox this past week."

I rolled my eyes. God, parents really could be so old-fashioned sometimes. "We use the phone now, Dad."

"Is he dating anyone?"

I stopped cutting the vegetables. Did he really think he was being casual.

"Um," I cleared my throat. "Yeah. That girl called Tanya."

"I thought it was Rosalie." Obviously he had been in contact with Carlisle.

"That was before, but they weren't dating. They just sort of had a kind of _fling _or something_._"

"Oh."

Silence was getting really awkward and I wanted to go into my room as soon as possible. I served Charlie his lasagna and hurried away.

The red dot in my calendar was taunting me. I had been counting down the days till Edward's arrival here. I couldn't wait. It was just two more days. Two more days of nothing and then everything would be fine.

I was so glad that Angela offered, because I was definitely planning to go horse riding. It was way better than what Rose and Tanya did. Sure, they rode motor bikes, but horses were better.

I closed my eyes and let myself drift away.

…

Two Days Later

"Bella!" A black blur crashed into me, knocking the breath out of my body.

"Alice," I said, laughing at the way she was holding me.

"I'm so excited, Bella," she squealed, her eyes wide. "I've never been to New York, and hearing Edward talking about it seems amazing."

"Don't overwhelm Bella," a voice nearby said. I recognized the velvety musical voice almost immediately.

Edward was…I didn't know what to say. It seemed that he got taller and more beautiful looking every year. His presence would always stun me into silence.

"Hi Edward," I managed to say weakly. "How are you?"

Edward grinned and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm brilliant, Bella."

A blonde boy emerged along with Carlisle from the taxi.

"Jasper!" I gasped, my eyes wide with recognition. "Wow, you've changed."

"Just the hair," he laughed, shaking out in front of me.

"Aw, he's so cute," Alice said sweetly.

Edward and I exchanged looks. It was obvious that they were into each other. I was going to say something about it but thought better of it. I turned around to let them have their moment.

"So, Alice and Jasper?" I asked Edward, who was staring at something in the distance.

"Yep."

I raised my eyebrows. "How come you never told me about it?"

"Alice didn't want anyone to know that she had a secret crush on him."

Edward fidgeted with his fingers like he was nervous. This was a side I had never seen of him before.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." His face was blank so that I, who knew him so well, couldn't even decipher a thing.

"Alright, I _do _have to tell you something," he began. "It's going to make you angry, I know that. It's going to make you wish that I never came here. You're going to – "

"Shut up and tell me!" I snapped exasperatedly. "Stop telling me all this and get to the point because it is _this _that's making me angry."

"Tanya's coming here."

"Wait…what?" I asked, my heart pounding loudly. I heard him. I heard him and but I couldn't understand because of the dim roaring which was filling my head. It was as if the words spoken from Edward's lips changed.

"I'm sorry for doing this but she _insisted _to be where I was, so that we could get closer before school starts."

My heart dropped. _No, no, no. Dear God, please tell me this wasn't happening. _

"When?" My voice cracked and I felt my stomach dropped. Maybe this holiday was not going to be as I planned…perfect…beautiful…a chance for me to show Edward I'm not _that _girl.

"Today. Her father's taking her here."

I let out a large breath of air. "Well…this changes things."

Edward swallowed hard and shook his head. "I want a wonderful summer with you, Bella. I miss you, and I don't know what to say. I don't know how to talk to you because I feel like…I just feel like crap sometimes."

I managed to smile weakly at him. "Don't worry, Edward. Tanya's your new girlfriend. We should all make her very welcome. I'll be nice."

Edward nodded, not noticing my sarcasm.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Alice asked, as we returned to the group.

"Nothing."

"Come on," Alice begged. "I'm your friend so show me to your room and we can talk, okay?"

I shook my head.

"Just you and me. That's all. The boys can stay outside."

I laughed heartlessly. There was never a point to argue with Alice because you would never get your own way. She was relentless. A powering force.

"Tanya's coming, did you know that?" I hissed angrily as I slammed my door shut.

Alice looked shocked. "What?"

"You honestly didn't know?" I asked her, frustrated.

"I'm going to _kill _him."

"Don't," I forced a smile. "He can be with whoever he wants. I'm not jealous because I know I'm not – "

"Don't you dare say you're not good enough for him, Bella Swan," she growled.

"I'm really not," I insisted.

"He hasn't told you yet, has he?" Alice asked sadly.

The change in her mood was beginning to freak me out. "Told me what?"

"I don't know if I should be the one to tell you this. I mean, it's kind of personal," she whispered, biting her lip.

My stomach was full of butterflies. What on earth was she trying to tell me?

"Just tell me," I decided.

"To him, you're more than his best friend, Bella. To him, you're _everything_," Alice said. "You inspire him. Did you know that he writes music?"

I shook my head. "No."

"He does, and the inspiration is _you_. You're all he talks about. He's always telling everyone how he could never be like you, because you're smart and beautiful and – "

Oh my God. Oh. My. God. "Edward thinks I'm _beautiful_?"

Alice laughed like bells tinkling. "Of course! You don't see yourself very clearly, you know."

"B-but," I stuttered, amazed by all this. "But what about Tanya?"

Alice growled again – this time fiercer. "Don't you ever mention her name again. Not in front of my face, anyway. Esme _hates _her, and so does my parents. She's a little troublemaker and likes to make out with boys, especially Edward."

"Edward's kissed her?" I asked, my heart sinking.

"Yeah. A lot. Edward kisses lots of girls."

"Oh."

I looked out the window. One year had really made a difference. Just last year, I was the closest person to Edward, but this year, it seemed that I was further away than the sun.

"I'm sorry, Bella. I wish Edward was smarter," Alice apologized.

I hugged her tightly. "It's okay, Alice. No matter what, we will be friends, right?"

"No matter what," she promised.

"Even if Edward hurts me?"

A slow smile crept up Alice's face. "I'll be your new best friend, then."

…

"Come on, Tanya!" I called out, grinning at her disgusted expression. Ha. So she and Rose were tough with bikes, but she couldn't ride a harmless horse? _That_ I thought, was hilarious.

"My _skirt _will get dirty," she sneered at me. "Unlike some people, I _am _a girl and I _do _wear skirts. Maybe if you have worn it before, you would understand."

That was a low blow. How dare she call me a boy?

"Just because I'm more like a tomboy does mean that I'm not a _girl_," I snapped angrily.

"Well, maybe you show act more like a girl, and maybe that way, at least some of the dorky boys from school would be interested in you."

"I'm _not _interested in dorky boys!"

Tanya laughed coldly. "So are you saying that you're interested in Edward?"

I blushed furiously at her comment. Why was I such as idiot? Did I really act like a lovesick fool in from of him?

"Oooh, so little Bella _is _in love with Eddie boy, isn't she?"

"I'm _not_!" I argued, despite my heart calling me to shut up. "You can be with him and make out with him all you like, I don't care."

I huffed in annoyance and slid off the horse.

I was about to say something when Tanya looked in shock of something behind me. I turned around and saw Edward looking at me, looking like he had his heart broken. His anguished expression made me want to do something and help him, but Tanya was here to complicate things, as always, and I could only smile a little, hoping that I would get one in return.

But I didn't. Instead, he walked slowly towards me and whispered "I'm sorry" in my ear.

"Don't be," I muttered, "Tanya's here and…and I-I gotta go."

I ran as fast as I could towards the horse shed where Alice and Angela were having lunch with Jasper, ignoring Edward's shouts behind me, and wishing like hell that Emmett was here to comfort me. He really was becoming like a dear brother to me now.

Edward looked at me time to time as we polished the leather saddles late in the afternoon.

He would sneak a glance, and feeling that stare made me blush.

_Stupid Bella_, I muttered. _He doesn't think that way, okay? Save yourself some broken hearts and don't look back._

"Bella?" Edward asked softly, just as I was about to leave.

I glanced at him and noticed that he wasn't polishing anything, but was looking at his blackened fingers pathetically.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

I could lie and say no, I wasn't, because the guy of my dreams was off running with a blonde beauty, but I didn't want to complicate things.

"I'm fine, Edward. Why?"

"It's just that…you seem kind of down these days and I was wondering if it was because I was here," he said softly.

"It's not you, Edward. I'm really glad you're here. I want you to have fun and everything here."

"You're really happy that I'm here?" he asked me, surprised.

I grinned. "So glad you're here. If you weren't, I think I would be still in town with Angela studying in the library and all that."

Edward walked over and hugged me tightly. "Thanks for being my best friend."

"No problem," I said, grateful that he seemed to believe me.

"Let's head back to the cottage then, before Carlisle wonders what happened," he laughed carelessly, holding my hand.

I loved the feel of his hand in mine but I knew the time for that was over. I should have enjoyed it as much as I could in the past few years. I slipped my hand out of his and turned back to look at him.

"Race ya to the cottage," I said, just like I would have if we were back in La Push.

And then we were running like we did over the last few years. We always had a special connection by competing with each other, whether it was water gun fighting or swimming, or even fishing. Everything was fun with Edward.

"Oh there you two are," Carlisle said, taking in me and Edward's breathless forms. "We were just about to call for help."

"I was so worried!" Tanya said, rubbing her eyes and pretending to cry.

I wanted to take her out on that but I knew I couldn't. I wasn't playing fair that way.

Edward reached over for her and comforted her gently. It seemed strange for him to be so caring about someone that I had to look away.

"Dinner's ready!" Esme called. "Who wants the chicken drumsticks?"

"I do!" Edward said, grinning.

"There's two though," Esme frowned. "Who wants the other one?"

"The other can go to Angela," Edward declared, smiling at her. "She's the one who invited us to her place, after all."

"Thanks, Edward," Angela said shyly.

"It's alright," he replied. "It's been amazing here, and I wish I could stay for longer."

Angela beamed at Edward. I felt sorry for her, because no one had ever spoken to her like that. At school, everyone was mean and ignorant. The worst memory was when she had a birthday party last year, and only one third of the class came. After the party, she swore to me that she would never do something like that again. She ended up crying in her room for ages, despite my attempts to comfort her.

I just didn't get how girls could be so mean to each other. It was just so cruel and unjust.

…

I'm standing at the foot of my bed, sorting out the clothes that Alice dug out of my wardrobe. I didn't understand what was wrong with them. I mean, sure they were a little worn and old but it was comfortable. That was all that mattered to me, anyway.

"We just _have _to go shopping here, Bella," Alice begged me, with puppy eyes. "I mean, this _is _New York, and it just can't get better than that!"

"Alice," I groaned. "I hate shopping."

"I _know_, Bella, but for me?" she asked. "Please?"

"Fine," I grumbled, "but on one condition."

"What is it?"

I grinned evilly at her. "We bring both the guys. And no Tanya."

"Deal."

Edward agreed immediately and he looked half-glad when I told him that Tanya was not to come, that I could introduce her to Kate and they could just hang out somewhere together.

Tanya agreed when Edward told her and I smiled to myself. Maybe today won't be so bad after all.

However, all changed when I came out of the changing room in one of the shops Alice had dragged me into. In front of me were Tanya and Kate, who were talking to Edward in the waiting area.

I couldn't believe my eyes. How dare she? Just because she was his girlfriend didn't mean that she _had _to be right next to him from dawn til dusk, right?

The next thing I saw made my stomach sick, and I felt my lunch coming out of my throat.

Kate suddenly planted her lips onto Edward's, and what made it worse was that he was actually responding to the kiss. His hand draped casually across her hip and went lower and lower, until –

"I _can't _believe it!" Alice screamed. "What the hell is happening?"

"Aw, Eddie, it's alright," Tanya cooed at him. "It was just a dare. I couldn't believe you agreed to it, though."

I wanted to throw up. I hurried back into the changing room and put on my normal clothes. I needed to get out of here. Right now.

"I need to go now, Alice," I begged her with my eyes to understand.

Thankfully, she understood the silent message. "Go. You can pay me back later. Meet me at the toilets."

I ran to the bathroom, crying. I couldn't understand. I couldn't believe it was Edward I saw out there. I couldn't believe that he actually kissed Kate, while dating Tanya. It was just a dare, but it was a sick one. No one right in the head would make that sort of game up.

My mind was swirling dizzily, full of images I couldn't repress. Nothing seemed clear but there were three things I was absolutely positive about.

Firstly, Edward had changed a lot over the past year. Second, the kind of girls he was attracted to, were the ones that were beautiful and blonde, the ones that I could never in a million years become like. And third, he seemed to make out with all sorts of girls, all except me – I was the only exception.

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**Thanks to all the readers and reviews. **

**I know it hasn't been two weeks but since I'm working with PTB to get my story polished, I'm going on HIATUS for a little while. This probably won't take long as it is only five chapters.  
**

**This decision may upset some but I hope you guys will still stick with me.**

**Thanks for all the kind comments**

**See you all in a month or so  
**


	6. Author's Note & CHAPTER 6 TEASER

**Author's Note**

Hi guys. Thank you for being patient with me. I have now revised the five chapters and will upload them by this weekend. The next chapter has been written and is currently over at PTB to check for my grammatical mistakes and other things.

This is an excerpt of Chapter 6: Glorious. The final version of the chapter may alter slightly but anyway, there it is.

**Bella**

They say time flies when you're having fun.

I stared at the birthday cake in front of me. _Happy 13__th__ Birthday Bella! _was written in blue icing across the rich chocolate topping. Counting the many layers of the sponge, I wondered idly when it was going to be finished.

"Whoo hoo!" Emmett boomed. "Bella's thirteen now!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Everyone here already is. It's not such a big deal."

"Angela's still twelve" Edward pointed out quietly, smiling crookedly at me.

I looked over at her, who was now blushing so furiously she would put a tomato to shame.

Even though I was thirteen, I felt like there was no difference. My feet still dangled from being too short to reach the floor. My hair was still the same old boring brown. Nothing was different from my birthday last year, except for the stupid blonde who is currently sitting next to Edward – his girlfriend Tanya. She stared at me with a look of contempt; her electric blue eyes felt like there were piercing into the back of my head. Her clothes were so obviously designer that even I, who according to Alice, had to sense of style, would know in an instant. And holy _crap_ the makeup! Her lips were cherry red and her lids a light violet shade. I've never worn makeup. My lips were chapped and my fingernails were dirty with mud. Lipstick seemed like such a stupid choice for her, especially when it ends up on _someone else's _face.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Bells?" Emmett asked, grinning at me, while stuffing a huge chunk of cake in his mouth. He munched with his mouth opened wide and swallowed loudly. "My hot new _girlfriend_?"

He laughed loudly and put his arms around Tanya.

I cringed back in my chair. "That's just so disgusting, Em!"

"Hey!" Edward cautioned.

"Guys, seriously. It's supposed to be a party," Alice chimed in.

"It's not going to be a party unless we're going diving at the beach," Rose said.

I stiffened. I hated how Rose always thought she was too good to be my friend. After all, when did I ever do something to provoke her?

"What?" she continued, taunting me. "Too scary for little Bella?"

I smiled at her as sweetly as I could and stood up. "You and me. Right now. Water bombing off the sixty feet ridge."

Edward gasped out loud. "Bella!" He looked at me in astonishment. "You can't do that! Only Sam Uley and his group can, and they're _sixteen_!"

"Rose?" I turned to her. "What do _you _think?"

Rose stared at me like I was crazy. Suddenly, everyone went silent. You could've heard a pin drop.

"What?" I asked. "Too scary for you?"

Her chair scraped against the wooden floor and she stood up. "Nope. I would've done it before if Emmett didn't stop me. It's _nothing_."

I shrugged. "Whatever you say."

I wasn't in the mood to be defeated. I wasn't in the mood to be the weak link in my friendship circle.

I wasn't weak. Or intimidated by waves. Well, I was going to prove just that whether I was scared or not. But to be honest to myself, I was shaking on the inside. I have never even jumped off the twelve feet ridge. I was a strong swimmer. And I didn't believe anything was going to stop me right now.

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Please tell me what you think and if you are still interested in the story, even after such a long wait. Thank you.


	7. Age 13: Best Friends?

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**Age 13**

**Bella**

They say time flies when you're having fun.

I stared at the birthday cake in front of me. _Happy 13__th__ Birthday Bella! _was written in blue icing across the rich chocolate topping. Counting the many layers of the sponge cake, I wondered idly when it was going to be finished.

"Whoo hoo!" Emmett boomed. "Bella's thirteen now!"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Everyone here already is. It's not such a big deal."

"Angela's still twelve," Edward pointed out quietly, smiling crookedly at me.

I looked over at Angela, who was now blushing so furiously she could put a tomato to shame.

Even though I was thirteen, I felt like there was no difference. My feet still dangled from being too short. My hair was still the same old, boring brown. Nothing was different from my birthday last year, except for the stupid blonde who was currently sitting next to Edward–his girlfriend Tanya. She stared at me with a look of contempt; her electric blue eyes felt like they were piercing the back of my head. Her clothes were so obviously designer, that even I–who, according to Alice, had no sense of style–would know in an instant. And holy _crap_ the makeup! Her lips were cherry red and her eyelids a light violet shade. I had never worn makeup. My lips were chapped and my fingernails were dirty with mud. Lipstick seemed like such a stupid choice for her, especially when it ended up on _someone else's _face.

"Whatcha lookin' at, Bells?" Emmett asked, grinning at me, while stuffing a huge chunk of cake into his mouth. He munched with his mouth wide open and swallowed loudly. "My hot new _girlfriend_?"

He laughed loudly and put his arms around Tanya.

I cringed back in my chair. "That's just so disgusting, Em!"

"Hey!" Edward cautioned.

"Guys, seriously. It's supposed to be a party," Alice chimed in.

"It's not going to be a party unless we're going diving at the beach," Rose said.

I stiffened. I hated how Rose always thought she was too good to be my friend. After all, when had I ever done anything to provoke her?

"What?" she continued, taunting me. "Too scary for little Bella?"

I smiled at her as sweetly as I could and stood up. "You and me. Right now. Water bombing off the sixty foot ridge."

Edward gasped out loud. "Bella!" He looked at me in astonishment. "You can't do that! Only Sam Uley and his group can, and they're _sixteen_!"

"Rose?" I turned to her. "What do _you _think?"

Rose stared at me like I was crazy. Suddenly, everyone went silent. You could've heard a pin drop.

"What?" I asked. "Too scary for you?"

Her chair scraped against the wooden floor and she stood up. "Nope. I would've done it before if Emmett hadn't stopped me. It's _nothing_."

I shrugged. "Whatever you say."

I wasn't in the mood to be defeated. I wasn't in the mood to be the weak link in my friendship circle.

I wasn't weak–or intimidated by waves. Well, I was going to prove just that, whether I was scared or not. But to be honest with myself, I was shaking on the inside. I had never even jumped off the twelve foot ridge. I was a strong swimmer, and I didn't believe anything was going to stop me now.

I started towards the door, only to be stopped by Edward.

"Bella, please! Don't do it." Edward's eyes looked at me pleadingly. "Rose isn't worth it."

I looked back at him, my shoulders squared. I was sick of Rose taunting me. I was sick of Tanya babying me. I wanted to prove to everyone I was _unstoppable_.

"God, just _let _her go, Edward!" Tanya yelled at Edward's silent battle with me. "Who cares what she wants to do? You're not her damn mother!"

I stood there, stunned. Stunned not because she dared to yell so loud everyone outside the beach could hear her, but because, for once, I was going to agree with her.

"She's right, Edward," I muttered quietly, staring at his feet. I didn't want to see the hurt in his eyes. We were best friends–we never fought, or argued. Those things just didn't seem possible with us. That was, until the ice queen came, I guess. "You're not my mother."

"I'm your best friend," he argued back. "And right now, I know what the best thing to do is."

"Oh yeah?" I challenged, looking him square in the eye. He had no idea what his friendship with these horrible girls was doing to me. "And what would that be, I wonder?"

Edward stepped so close to me that I could feel his breath on my face. My heart was pounding with adrenaline and the proximity of standing so close to him.

"Don't go."

I shook my head.

"Rose?" I asked, smiling over at her. "You ready?"

Rose looked at me, dislike burning in her eyes. "As ready as ever, _bitch_."

She took my hand roughly and yanked me out the door.

"God, you can't even defend yourself in front of Edward. I've got no competition in cliff-diving."

I kept silent as I trudged along next to her.

"Such a _wimp_," she sneered.

"I don't understand what I did to make you hate me so much," I blurted out without thinking.

Oh crap.

Rose stopped in her tracks and turned around to face me.

"What?"

I blushed furiously and stammered, "I…I mean, you always seem to hate me so much, and I just don't understand _why_."

"It's because you seemed very close to Edward, ever since I first saw you," she hissed.

I gulped. _Wait, what? What did Edward have to do with any of this? She…she couldn't be jealous, could she? Or she would be mad at Tanya instead…right?_

"What?" I managed to croak out.

"I care about Edward, okay?" she said flippantly. "He's one of my closest friends, so _I _don't want _you_ to ruin _his _life for him, okay?"

"Ruin his life… how?" I retorted. What the heck was she going on about?

"Edward and Tanya are meant to be and it always looks like you're trying to steal him away. You don't deserve to be with someone like Edward. Tanya's beautiful and you're just a…a BITCH."

I shook my head, trying to make sense of everything. I knew deep in my heart that I wanted to be with Edward, but again, Rose was right. She had always been right. Edward had been drifting further and further away from me ever since he noticed that there were such things as _girls _in the world. Why hadn't I noticed that?

I didn't know what I was going to do with that new revelation, but for now, I was going to fulfill possibly the biggest dare I was ever going to do.

"Sorry." I didn't know what to say.

"You're going first," Rose told me. "Because you started this."

I looked at her, forcing my mouth to form a smile. "But you've done this before."

"You're stalling. Now _go_."

The breeze was mild, but as I stared down at the waves, they seemed as choppy as ever. The water was deadly quiet, waiting to engulf me, while the waves seemed like moving glass–smooth, but so _rough_. It was early September, and I was currently in Forks, not atrocious Syracuse, all because Charlie said that I could take a week off school to celebrate my birthday with my very few friends.

The weather should have been still mild and warm, but being Forks, it was cold and wet.

"I'll push you off," Rose threatened.

I looked down at the waves once more, this time my fear too overwhelming for me to bear. I shivered and shut my eyes tightly.

_Three…two…one_

I let out a scream of exhilaration and fright as I plunged forcefully into the dark, deep water. The angry waves immediately began to play a fierce game of tug-of-war, pulling me in different directions. As I tried to breathe in a gallon of much needed air, my throat and lungs began to burn. It was a raw and intense feeling, and I waved my arms around, the water creating friction against me so that Rose could see where I was.

I squinted up and saw the bright light and pulled myself towards the surface.

"Rose?" I tried to scream out, but all I managed was a small squeak only a whale could hear.

"Rose!" I tried again.

I began to panic. _Where was she? Did she even jump? Was she still up there, probably with a giant gloat on her beautiful icy face? And…wasn't she going to get help at all? I look like I'm struggling, right? Right…_

…

"Bella!" I heard a distinct male voice roar in my ear, shattering my delicate pair of eardrums.

"Wake up, Bella! Please!" This time, it was a tearful female voice. Probably Alice.

I coughed weakly, salty seawater leaking out of my mouth.

"Bella!" A voice called in relief. _Edward_, I realized.

"Eh-Ed…ward," I tried to call for him, but my throat and lungs were still burning, like everlasting fire.

A cool hand touched my left cheek gently. "I'm here, Bella."

I slowly opened my eyes, and gasped as bright lights seared into my eyes.

"Are you feeling okay, Bella?" Carlisle asked me. "You're not feeling any dizziness?"

I shook my head as I lifted myself slowly into a sitting position on the gritty sand. My body was aching all over, and all I wanted was this all to be a nightmare. _Wake up…_

Carlisle cleared this throat loudly and the sound brought me back to Earth. "Your lungs and throat–the burn is caused by the rough seawater, which is quite salty. You may notice some swelling on the outside of your throat, but you shouldn't be too worried about it. I'm sorry I can't give you some Tylenol or painkillers but it would just make the burning worse."

"I…I'm fine," I said, though my whole body was screaming it wasn't. "Th-thank you."

After Carlisle left to tell Charlie what had happened, Alice started to yell at me. However, this I was expecting. I had done a stupid thing–and all Rose had done was walk off. She hadn't even jumped. How naïve I had been to believe her.

"You could've _died_!" Alice yelled. "You could've disappeared. Do you know how worried we all were? How worried and nervous Edward was?"

I snapped my head around to look at him curiously. He was biting his lip gently.

"I'm sorry, Alice," I apologized. "For everything."

Edward and Alice stayed silent, and I suddenly realized that neither Tanya nor Rose were around, nor were Emmett and Angela.

"Where's Rose?" I asked, trying to break the ice. The tension in the air was already so thick I could use a knife to cut through it. I felt so stupid and useless, causing my friends so much havoc. I shuddered as I imagined telling Charlie what had happened today and suddenly felt guilt bubbling inside of me as I pictured Carlisle telling him.

"At Em's," Edward said quietly. "She's in shock. She wanted to apologize to you. It's just that she was so scared and everything."

I nodded.

"Bella," Edward said, lifting his pained eyes to meet mine. He encased my small hands in his and held them tightly. "Just promise me that you will never, ever do anything like that again. You don't know how I felt, or feel right now."

"Why should you care?" I began to mutter, as my conversation with Rose flooded back in my mind. "You have everything."

"I want my best friend back. I miss your funny side, your beautiful smile. Everything you were," Edward said abruptly. "What changed? What caused you to become so…different?"

I stood up slowly, stumbling, and mustered up a smile for him. "Nothing, Edward. Nothing has changed, but you better get back to your girlfriend before she finds out you were here comforting me."

"Fuck Tanya."

I gasped out loud. _What did he just say? _I had never heard Edward swear like that in my life.

"What did you just say?"

Edward looked at me with determination in his eyes. "Fuck Tanya. I don't give a shit where she is right now."

Something in my mind clicked as I saw his eyes stare back into my wide ones. So this was what Rose was saying about me pulling Edward away from Tanya. It wasn't fair, I realized. I wasn't doing anything, but at the same time, I was destroying a perfectly good relationship between my best friend and his girlfriend.

_Crap._

I realized I had to go. To get out of here so he could get back to normal. I didn't belong in his life like this. I didn't deserve his goodness, his kindness. Not when I was being such a nuisance to both Tanya and Rose.

"I…I gotta go," I stuttered, wiping my dirty hands on my soaked white shirt. "Charlie…"

"Don't!" Edward shouted. He looked down, embarrassed, then said quietly, "I mean, your shirt! It's dirty."

"So?"

Edward shook his head, smiling at me and took off his own dry shirt in the cold weather.

"Here," he said, handing it to me.

"I…I can't," I said, panicking. Why was he doing this? Taking care of me all of a sudden? "I gotta go."

I ran towards our beach house, where I hoped Charlie had already begun to pack his luggage.

"Bella!" Edward shouted, running towards me.

I didn't look back. I didn't want to cause any more trouble.

"Wait up! You can't go yet! I haven't given you your birthday present yet!" Edward yelled.

I halted and turned around to look at him. "You didn't need to spend money on me, Edward."

I instantly regretted saying that, because he suddenly looked like he was about to cry. His face was confused and I threw my arms around him, not knowing what to do.

"I'll miss you, okay? I'll write letters to you and everything, as usual," Edward said, hugging me so tightly I could hardly breathe. I wished like hell he wouldn't let me go as I felt his tears dampen my shoulder.

This summer had held the best and worst memories of my life. It went from great to awful, to me feeling like crap. I had enjoyed the beach and the adventures in the forests with Edward and Emmett. I had enjoyed competing with Edward in the water gun fight we had every year. I had enjoyed the rare and miraculous sunshine and the comfort my friends had brought me, but it was time to let go…until next year. Hopefully.

"Here," Edward said, as we broke apart. "I bought you something I hoped you would like."

"I like everything you give me, Edward," I said earnestly.

Edward drew up his chest proudly, which almost made me snort…almost. "Well," he said confidently, "you'll like this then."

He handed me a small brown package, and I took it in my hands, curious about what could be inside.

I pulled out a beautiful, smooth, green stone.

"It's a stone I found while we were playing in the water earlier this month when," he laughed nervously, "when, you know….everything was fine."

"Everything _is _fine," I told him. "Thank you so much."

"Wait, there's more–look on the back," he said quickly. His hands were twisted together like he was nervous about something. "I know it may be stupid but…ummm…"

I rolled my eyes at his cute ramble and flipped over the stone to look at it myself.

_To Bella, from your best friend Edward_

_Summer, 2002_

"You still have my bunny right?" Edward asked, anticipating my answer with what seemed like fear.

"Of course I still have your bunny," I assured him and saw that he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You gotta come back next year."

I hesitated, not knowing what to do, or say. I wanted to come back so badly, but I didn't know what it would do to his friends and Tanya. Right now, it seemed like a better decision to just downplay it.

"Sure," I grinned. "Can't miss that epic water fight, right?"

"Sure can't," he replied, laughing.

"Okay, I have to go now," I said, my stomach flip-flopping around. I was torn, but deep inside I didn't want to leave.

"Promise you'll call," Edward called as I turned towards the beach house. "I'll write letters and everything."

I waved back, having nothing to say.

His forehead creased as he noticed I didn't say anything back, but his face broke out into a giant grin anyway. "Bye, Bella. I'll see you next year."

As he walked slowly away from my side, I couldn't resist hugging him one more time.

"Thanks for everything, Edward," I said, my voice wet with tears. "You'll always be my best friend."

Edward laughed. "_One_ of them, you mean. You got Angela, too."

I smacked him in the head playfully. "Hey! That's so uncalled for!"

"You better get going," he said morosely. "I see Angela and Charlie loading up the car."

My shoulders slumped forward. "Yeah."

My mother didn't come this year. I didn't know what she was doing right now, but she had seemed so happy the last time I had spoken to her. It seemed like Phoenix was suiting her well. Apparently she was with a guy named _Phil _now.

I looked at Angela with a twinge of guilt as she loaded up my bags into the back of the car. I didn't even pack anything myself. I guess I was grateful to have her in New York and at school with me. I imagined the looks on Kate's and Irina's faces when I told them I had been with Edward and his friends up in Forks and shuddered as I thought about their reactions.

"All right there, Bella?" Angela called.

I smiled. "Sure. Coming."

I glanced around La Push one more time, and stared wistfully at Edward's retreating figure.

"Everything's going to be fine, you know that, Bella?"

I turned around and saw Angela smiling sadly at me. I hugged her tightly and then got into the car.

We were both silent as Charlie sped through the little town, green and brown specks flashing before our eyes.

"Yeah, I know."

**Four Days Later**

I walked downstairs, checking to see if there were any more letters on the kitchen top.

My stomach flip-flopped as I saw another one. Edward had been writing non-stop ever since I'd left. I felt guilty for not replying, but I had no idea what I should do. I felt like I was crossing the line by writing back to him. Wouldn't Tanya be frustrated?

I had no one to ask for advice. Charlie would not have a clue, and neither would Angela. I guessed I just needed to trust my instincts.

I peeled the sticky tab off the envelope and began to read.

_Hi Bella_

_I know that you were miserable the last few days with me but I just want to tell you that I miss you heaps. I'm not sure if you're angry with me, but if you are, please reply anyway. _

_I've been waiting for a reply from you, or even a phone call. All I need is a sign that you are fine. _

_Alice is pissed at me and I don't know why. It's not so good over here anymore. _

_Please reply_

_Love from your best friend,_

_Edward_

I stared at the letter, and I absentmindedly grabbed a piece of paper from the kitchen drawer, my hand poised to write back.

I wondered if Edward knew what to do when your best friend, who has a girlfriend, writes to a girl from another state and expects a reply from her. It seemed kind of stupid but I wanted an answer to that.

I sighed and shook my head to clear the jumbled thoughts and began to write back.

_Hi_

_It's Bella. _

_I'm not angry or anything. I'm fine here. I guess the summer just went by far too quickly. _

_I hope everything is fine between you and Alice. _

_Say hi to her for me, and to Em, and Jazz. _

_Love from your best friend, _

_Bella_

I placed the piece of carefully folded paper into a clean envelope and closed my eyes.

The front door slammed open and I jumped.

"Just me," Charlie said gruffly. "How was school today?"

"Fine," I replied.

I saw his eyes move from my face, which gave everything away, to the envelope I held in my hand, and made the connection.

"Oh," he said in surprise, raising his eyebrows. "You want me to send it, right?"

I gave him the letter. "Thanks, Dad."

"Edward's a good boy, Bella," Dad said, observing my face carefully. "Give him a chance. I know he lives so far away but just…"

I stared at him in shock. I had never realized he noticed so much–I had tried hiding my feelings for Edward, but I had never managed to trick Charlie.

"Dad…please…," I said, my voice shaking, and I was afraid I would start crying. "Please don't."

As I ran I up the stairs, I heard him yell out to me.

"Bella! Just remember…just don't think that you live too far away from him that you actually can't even be friends."

His words hit deep inside my heart and I realized he was right. Maybe I was being too careful. I squeezed the stone Edward had given me tightly in my hands, wishing for a happier summer next year.

* * *

A massive thank you to all the readers who stuck by and the amazing betas over at PTB, especially **SecretlySeverus** and **AnthroBug**. Wish I could treat you all to a few rounds of tequila :)

What do you think of this story so far? Please leave a review - you know how much they mean to me :)

I'm going to go away for a holiday tomorrow and won't be back for not more than a week.

I'll see you again in less than two weeks!


	8. Age 14: Just Say Yes

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**Age 14**

**Bella**

"What's wrong with you and Tanya?" I asked Edward, squinting through the sunlight streaming into the living room. I wasn't interrogating him, but he shifted uncomfortably on the couch anyway – I was just fishing for some information. A lot could happen in a year.

"I ditched her," Edward replied bluntly, taking the remainder of the Popsicle into his mouth.

As soon as he said those three words, a bubble of happiness washed through my body. It was a strange reaction, but I ignored it. It was probably the cold lemon popsicle which was settling in my stomach.

"Why?" I pressed on. "I mean…" I felt so embarrassed right then. God, who the hell do you think you are, Bella – his mother? Oh no, I don't even think Esme would say something like that…

Edward shrugged and focused his eyes on the television. "I was bored with her."

The bubble inside me burst immediately, and I felt my stomach drop. I was right, I thought, a lot could happen in a year. I swallowed the lump in my throat. I didn't know that Edward was one of those people, who just wanted a girlfriend for the sake of it – was it popularity he wanted? I couldn't believe I was going to defend Tanya, but it seemed unfair. _Edward_ was being unfair.

"That's not fair, Edward," I reasoned with him. "That's mean."

"That's life, Bella."

An awkward silence filled the room.

His short reply made me angry, and for some reason, there were tears in my eyes. I blinked several times and took in several deep breaths.

"How's everything in New York?" Edward asked me, turning his head, probably wondering why I hadn't said anything. "Why didn't Angela come this year?"

I stared at the white carpet of the Cullens' beach house. I could feel Edward peering closely at my face, and I was determined not to cry in front of him.

"Hey," he said softly, switching the TV off. "Did I upset you or anything?"

I shook my head and looked up to smile sadly at him. "I'm fine. Angela's got other friends, you know. She's not going to be coming every summer."

Edward stared at me intently, and it made me think that he didn't even hear what I'd just said. "You're not okay," he finally said. "What's wrong?"

I groaned. It was so Edward to notice these small things. "Nothing. Just…it's just high school."

I had started high school this year without Angela. She went to another one. I hadn't realized how many high school there were in Syracuse; none of my former classmates attended the same school as me. There was a quiet girl in my class called Leah but she never spoke to me so I ended up spending my lunches in the library for the entire year. There was hardly anyone in the library, ever, so I didn't really have anyone to talk to. I was a social outcast.

"High school," I grumbled, standing up and stretching. I wanted to go down to the beach and clear my mind. Staying indoors was making me feel gloomy, despite the rare sunlight and heat.

Edward raised his eyebrows. "Oh. What's wrong?"

I blew air out of my mouth with a whoosh. "I have no friends, Edward. No one talks to me and Angela got sent to another school, so I guess I'm just a loner."

"How can you be a loner if you are good at sports?" Edward asked me.

I turned around to look at him. "You only get popular if you do sports and party. I don't party," I told him.

"I made the basketball and hockey teams this year," Edward said quietly.

I laughed. "Really? So…so you're a jock now? And popular," I smiled at him. "Wow, E. Congratulations."

Edward stood up suddenly and grabbed my hand with his sticky fingers. "C'mon, let's go down to the beach. I need to cool off. This summer is fucking with me."

"Me too, Mr. Perfect." I grinned at him and saw the look of surprise on his face. "What? I'll race you down the beach."

Edward growled. "Last one there is the world's biggest loser!"

I headed out the door in lightning speed and pumped my legs as fast as they could go. I was in the track team this year, and I had never gotten anything but first place. I could hear Edward's footsteps coming closer and I urged my legs to pick up the pace. The wind whipped my face, and the sweaty shirt I was wearing was cooling me now.

The beach soon came into view and I waddled into the refreshing, sparkling water.

"Beat you," I teased, smiling at a very sweaty Edward.

Edward glared at me and stuck out his hand. "Hi, I'm the world's biggest loser, and you're…?"

I snorted and shook his hand roughly, ignoring the odd spark that ignited between us whenever he touched my skin. This was so cheesy. "Bella Swan, the world's biggest loser's best friend."

Edward grinned, but it didn't fully reach his eyes.

"Where's Emmett?" I asked, trying to change the subject while kicking the wet, sandy rocks around. I hadn't seen any of his friends since my arrival with Charlie yesterday. "Where's everyone?"

Edward bit his lip to hide a smile, and it made me even more suspicious.

"What?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at him.

"You really want to know?" Edward asked quietly, looking at me with a fire blazing in his eyes.

I nodded.

"Because we're all going to New York to celebrate the Fourth."

My eyes shot up to him and my smile was so large, I thought it was going to split my face in half.

"Really?" I asked excitedly. "Am I the only one who doesn't know about this?"

Edward nodded. "Your mom's coming as well – everyone is. It's like a gathering."

"Who's idea was this?"

Edward didn't bother to hide his grin this time. "Mine."

…

"Bella!" Emmett boomed out loud, embracing me tightly. He was now so tall, I had to lift my head to see his face. "Surprise!"

I struggled against his tight embrace. "Em…" I gasped out, "lungs…need…oxygen…"

Emmett put me down after a moment and smiled sheepishly. "Oh. Sorry."

"Bella!" Alice greeted me, pulling me into her small arms. "How are you?"

I laughed. "I'm great. So…have you all been hiding inside our apartment all this time?"

Jasper smiled tentatively at me. "Since you left."

"Edward was going to burst, not able to tell you until you asked him where we all were," Alice said.

I looked over at him. "I could tell. He was being extremely restless."

"We just have to go shopping again. I saw your closet," Alice chirped. "It was screaming out to me that you're in desperate need of a makeover."

I rolled my eyes at her and groaned inwardly.

"Hey, do you think Charlie could take us to the river tomorrow for the fireworks?" Edward asked quietly.

I shrugged and imagined the view we would get – the sparks of the fireworks lighting up the sky in a haze of metallic silver, orange, and red. It seemed magical. "I'm not sure, but that'll be really nice. I've never been there for the Fourth but I'd like that," I replied.

"Thanks, Bella," Edward said, looking at me with a weird, intense expression on his face.

I wondered what he was planning on doing.

Edward wouldn't be in New York every year, so this was special for him, I guess. I had never been into celebrations or parties – they just weren't interesting for me. Never had I attended a party I had enjoyed – I was always the one in the corner, reading a book quietly or waiting for Charlie to pick me up.

"Bella!" Alice sang, grabbing me by the arm. "Come on, let's go. The boys will find their way around here."

"Hey!" Emmett protested. "We're coming with you guys, because Rose wants to go too."

I stood there, shocked as he puts his arm around her, kissing her softly on the forehead and looking at her with adoration in his eyes.

What…

"Rose isn't Emmett's real sister. We only just found that out recently," Alice told me in a low voice once she ushered me out of the apartment and onto the busy street. "So don't think…"

I nodded. "Wow. So they're…"

"Together."

"Together, together," I emphasised for clarification.

Alice nodded.

"Wow."

"I know. It took a while for us to get used to it. It's a little weird, but they're happy together, and that's what matters, I guess."

"What about you?" I teased, elbowing her in the ribs. "Any boys that have caught your attention?"

Alice blushed. "No, of course not."

"Come on." I smiled at her. "This is high school we're talking about. There must be hot guys everywhere."

Alice sighed, and I noticed her looking at the store in front of us. There were things in that window that probably cost a fortune.

"I like Jasper," she finally said. "He's really nice and everything but…"

"Alice!" I exclaimed, feeling extremely happy for her, yet surprised that I actually knew who she liked. "That's really great, you know. You know him well and everything. Why don't you ask him out then?"

"It's complicated."

I snorted. "You think everything's complicated except for buying clothes."

"I think he likes someone else. Edward told me he hangs out with a girl called Maria in the library. They do homework together."

"They're probably friends, like Edward and me," I guessed.

Alice looked at me dubiously and I began to feel self-conscious. "What?"

"You and Edward are just friends?"

"Yeah," I said, and even to me, it sounded pathetic. I wished I could be more for him, be worthy of him, but I could never measure up. He was the most amazing person I had ever met, and I was already completely content to be his best friend. "There's no way Edward Cullen would be interested in – "

"Interested in what?" came a smooth, velvet voice behind me. I jumped and turned around in surprise, dropping the wallet I was holding, scattering the coins everywhere. My heart was beating hard and fast as Edward bent down to pick up the loose coins.

Edward stood there, looking between Alice and me, his beautiful green eyes sparkling and dazzling me. He handed me back my wallet, and I held out a shaky hand to retrieve it. "Thanks."

"So what wouldn't I be interested in?" Edward asked me, and I knew I was in deep trouble. I looked around for Alice and realized that she was already in the shop with Jazz, Rosalie, and Emmett. What a friend she is, I thought.

"Uh…" I said, losing my train of thought when I stared in his eyes. "We were just wondering whether or not you were interested in…um…taking a boat out tomorrow for the fireworks?"

It was a weak excuse, and I wondered absentmindedly if Charlie would even agree.

"Oh, like a cruise?" He frowned.

"Yeah," I offered sheepishly. "Really, we were just talking about nothing."

"But I'd like that, Bella. Have you spoken to Charlie about it?"

"I'll ask him tonight, I guess," I told him.

Edward's eyes sparkled. "Thanks, Bella. It'll be wonderful if we could."

I was so distracted by Edward's response that I almost walked right out of the shop wearing the dress I'd tried on.

"Bella!" Alice called out. "What are you doing?"

"Oh!" I looked down and saw what I was wearing. I blushed furiously and muttered a small "sorry" to the sales assistant, who had been staring at me like I had gone insane.

"What's wrong?"

I shrugged. "Edward is driving me crazy."

Alice laughed. "What? Good crazy? Or crazy crazy?"

"Crazy crazy," I replied, trying to be off-handed, but I didn't think Alice was going to let me off so easily.

"Just put this on. It looked good on Rose, so you'll probably look fabulous in it," Alice said, ignoring my question.

"Emmett!" I whined, looking to him for support. I was so sick of dressing and wearing something I wasn't completely comfortable in. "Help me."

"Alice, just leave her alone, then. Bells can go with Edward to see something else. Get food or something?"

"Emmett, you know exactly why Bella has to be here right now," Alice said stoically, and winked at him. Alice winked? What the hell was going on here?

"Alice," I said slowly, "what is it that you know that I don't?"

Rose and Alice looked at each other and turned their heads to grin at me.

"You'll see," Rose said softly. "Just wear what Alice tells you to tomorrow."

…

"Hey, Bells," Charlie grinned at me when I came downstairs for breakfast. It was far too early for anyone to be up, but looking around at the dinner table, it seemed that everyone but Emmett was present.

"Morning, Dad," I said, and then yesterday's conversation with Edward popped up in my head again. "Edward said that it would be great if we could go on a boat tomorrow for – "

"Already taken care of," my dad said, his eyes crinkling with his wide grin.

I stared at him with my mouth open. "What? What do you mean?"

"I got some tickets from one of my friends here – Billy, remember?" Charlie told me.

"Oh," I said, surprised. "Jake's dad?"

"That's him. He got us some tickets so we'll all be going tonight, and as far as I know, you're going to get a surprise from – "

"Someone," Alice interrupted loudly.

My head snapped in her direction, and I knew for certain that the tiny pixie had indeed been plotting against me. What was she going to do? Throw me into the water tonight, as an "I love you, but I hate you for not sharing my passion for shopping" gift? Right. I shook off the frustration quickly because whatever it was that everyone was hiding, I would find out tonight anyway.

The day passed in a blur of getting ready for my mom's arrival with Phil and watching TV. It seemed not only like everyone was working against me, but the time was as well. The clock ticked sluggishly and it annoyed the hell out of me. But I knew it was just me being impatient. I was itching to know what the supposed surprise was.

There was a loud knock on the door, and I jumped up to answer it.

"Probably Mom with her way-too-heavy luggage," I muttered.

Sure enough, once I opened the door, a loud squeal emitted from my mother's mouth, and I hugged her tightly. God, I missed her so much. Much more than I had ever imagined.

As soon as I pulled back, I noticed the tall man with a muscular build standing next to her. "Hi, Phil." I smiled at him. I guess it was best that I got used to him being around now.

"Hey. Renee's told me so much about you already."

I smiled at my mom. "I'm sure she has."

"Bella?" Edward asked me from behind.

I turned around and smiled at him.

"Mom, this is Edward, remember?" I pointed at him. "Edward, this is Phil, her boyfriend."

"Oh, Edward," Renee sighed, taking him in her arms tightly. "You've changed so much. I feel like I haven't seen you in a million years. Tell me, how's Esme?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair and smiled at her. "Mom's doing great. She doesn't know you're here yet, but I'm sure once she knows, she'll probably end up taking the next possible flight."

"And Carlisle?" she pressed on.

I rolled my eyes at Edward, who laughed out loud at the exasperated expression on my face. "He'll be here, too, unless he has another medical conference. They'll both be extremely happy to hear you're here."

"Seriously, does this conversation need to take place in the doorway?" I finally asked, and Phil burst out laughing. I was glad that he seemed to be getting along with me so quickly. "Edward? Mom?"

After I had given Renee the five cent tour of the apartment, I was relieved that it was almost time for us all to get ready for tonight.

"Bella! If you are not here in one second, I'm going to send Rose out to find you, and trust me, it won't be a pretty scene," Alice yelled.

"Okay, I'm coming!" I called back.

"What's all this about anyway?" I snapped as Rose immediately began to brush my hair back as soon as I sat down on my chair.

"I'll tell you as soon as Alice leaves the room, okay?" Rose whispered in my ear.

I nodded with a lump in my throat. Rose and I hadn't been on speaking terms, and now that she was talking to me, it was making me feel a little nervous. Maybe she didn't hang out with Tanya anymore, but that wouldn't make her like me any more than she ever did.

"Look," Rose began. "I know I haven't treated you fairly since I've met you and I know I've been an idiot but – "

Wait, what? "What?" I asked aloud.

Rose gave a nervous laugh while braiding my hair. "I'll tell you the whole story later, but just promise me one thing."

The look in her electric blue eyes was fierce, with a fire blazing in them like the fiery pits of hell.

I gulped. "Yes?"

"Just say yes to whatever Edward asks you today, okay? That's all I want."

I stopped moving. What? I wanted to ask her what she meant but at that moment, Alice came slithering back into the room.

"Miss me?" she sang.

I ignored her and looked at Rose with a questioning look on my face, but Rose just shook her head at me.

"Yes, of course, Alice," she said, laughing. "You were gone for, what? Five minutes?"

Alice glared at her and turned to me. "Put this dress on, okay?"

Alice held up a short sleeveless blue dress and I groaned. "Alice, it's might be a little cold tonight! I can't wear that!"

"It's July, Bella. If this weather doesn't boil you, you'll be extremely lucky. You can wear a jacket, I guess, if you really want to," she amended quickly, after a glance at my expression, pouting a little.

Billy came to pick us up when it was seven. I sat with Edward and Alice in the back of the seven-seater car. I shifted uncomfortably now and then and thanked my lucky stars that Alice was too busy with Rose's hair to notice that I had changed the blue heels she had picked out for me for a pair of my favorite worn-out Converse.

"Are you alright?" Edward asked me. He lifted his hand and pulled a strand of loose hair behind my ear. Then he grabbed my hand and held it tightly in his. I blushed a deep shade of crimson and shook my head. "You look anxious."

"I'm fine," I stuttered out, determined not to look into his mesmerizing green eyes.

"Okay," he said, his cool mint breath washing over my flushed face.

It turned out that the boat was huge and was going to accommodate at least fifty people tonight. Edward helped me get onto the dock and continued to hold my hand in his. The air was becoming cooler and I was glad I had taken a jacket with me. I looked around for it and realized with a sinking feeling that I had left it in the car.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked me.

"I left my jacket in the car," I replied softly.

"Um, hang on," he said, taking off his hoodie, and revealing the thin white shirt he was wearing.

"You'll get cold," I argued when he handed it to me.

"Bella, don't be ridiculous," he said, thrusting the wad of fabric at me.

I took it hesitantly and quickly pulled it over my head, loving how I got lost in it. The hoodie was too big, and I had to pull up the sleeves to allow my hands through.

I closed my eyes briefly and inhaled as discreetly as I possibly could, filling my lungs with his unique sweet scent.

"Come on," he murmured, "I want to take you somewhere."

The conversation with Rose suddenly became clear in my mind, and I nodded quickly. "Okay," I said.

Edward gave me a dazzling smile and encased my hand in his large ones, taking me outside to the back of the cruise, where there was no one around. Everyone was probably still eating dinner or something.

"Edward?" I asked. "Why did you bring me here?"

Edward stood there shuffling his feet and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I miss you so much, Bella. I miss having you around all the time. I want to talk to you again, like we did nine years ago, when everything was fine," he began.

My eyes began to tear up at the vulnerability in his voice. "Oh, Edward." I ran forward to hug him tightly. "I miss you so much. You're my best friend, and I wished I could still be in Forks with you."

Edward led me to the soft seats at the edge of the boat. I was glad that we weren't at the front, because the roaring of the engine would have made it hard to make conversation.

"What do you want to be when you're older, Bella?" he asked suddenly, peering closely at my face.

I looked at him in surprise and stuttered out, "I-I don't really know. A doctor, maybe? Well…that's my goal anyway."

"Hmmmm, we have that in common," Edward said thoughtfully.

I laughed softly. "Yeah. Weird, right?"

He shook his head and laughed along with me. "No. Just perfect."

My heart skipped a few beats as he reached out to touch my fingers gently. I saw his face in the dim illumination of the lights from the inside of the boat and saw that he was chewing nervously on his bottom lip.

"Edward?" I asked. "What's wrong? Why aren't we inside with the rest of them?"

"Fuck," he muttered quietly and I didn't know what he meant. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" I croaked out. I knew what he was going to tell me was something bad. Very bad. "Just tell me what's going on. I promise I won't get mad or anything."

"Okay, I'm just going to say it, then," he whispered, still unsure, but his eyes shone with renewed determination. "I just want to tell you that I like you."

I looked at him, confused but touched nevertheless, glad that he wasn't giving me some bad news like he was moving to Australia or something. "I like you too, Edward."

Edward shook his head and gulped. "No, I mean I like like you. I mean, I want to take you out to dinner sometimes and tell everyone that the stunningly beautiful girl standing beside me is my girlfriend."

My mouth opened in shock and I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming. Did the boy of my dreams – the guy I thought that I would never in a million years be worthy of – just say that he wanted to go out with me?

I didn't know how to answer. I knew that I wanted to say yes, that my heart was screaming at me to say yes, but I didn't know if I could. I lived two thousand miles away from him and I knew that I could never do it, and with the fact that I had to keep my mind straight as I wanted to become a doctor, I knew that a relationship was the last thing I needed right now. Until I get into medical school, it wasn't really a priority of mine – in fact, it might be the one thing I didn't want. Why couldn't he have said something like me visiting him more often – something I could actually compromise on?

"Edward," I said in anguish, and even to me, my voice sounded painful. I refused to look into his eyes, and continued. "I-I can't."

I wanted this so badly that my heart throbbed with the intensity of it but I knew I could never have it. I had to set myself up for my future.

I lifted my eyes to meet his and saw the hurt in his green eyes, but it was quickly replaced with resolve.

"Why?" he asked quietly, dropping my hand.

I felt a tear dropping down onto the seat, onto the space between us, and I felt Edward's soothing hand wipe away the tears on my face gently before they could fall.

"Why?" he asked again, this time with a hint of pain in his voice.

"I-I..." I paused. Was I ready to tell him the truth? That it was the fact that I had planned out my teenage years without having a relationship to sidetrack me, and that there was probably someone out there who would be able to give him more than I would ever be able to? To offer him all he would ever want, would ever need? "You deserve someone better, Edward."

Edward took my face in his hands firmly and there was angry drawn into his face. "Don't be stupid, Bella. I have wanted so long to be with you. You're the only one I want. I don't care about the other girls. I only want you."

The tears in my eyes overflowed and I started to cry in earnest. My heart was breaking for him. He didn't understand. "There are thousands of girls in the world, Edward. You're only fourteen; how do you know you want me when you haven't seen anything yet?" I asked him softly.

Edward laughed bitterly. "I know because whenever I look at you, my heart speeds up, and that whenever I hear Mom or Dad talking about you, I stop what I'm doing and listen hard. I think about you every second that you're away. I don't want to be your best friend. Being your best friend isn't enough anymore. I want to be your boyfriend, and your everything. I want you to be able to call me whenever you feel down, or when you are upset about something. I want to be able to take you out and tell my friends that you're my girlfriend. That's what I want."

It was the most I have ever heard Edward say in one breath. I could only stare at him in shock, in amazement.

"I know you're scared, Bella," Edward finally said quietly, still looking at me in the eye. "I know you're scared of relationships because of your parents, but imagine if you never experienced it yourself. Would you want to live life like this – scared, and possibly lonely? That's why these moments with you aren't worthless, Bella, they're precious."

I froze in shock. I was facing the one person I trusted with all my heart, the only person who had the power to break me into a million pieces. But could I do this? Could I?

"I live two thousand miles away from you, Edward," I said sadly. "The most we could see of each other is once a year, for about a month."

"We can spend Christmas together," Edward said with hope. "I'll call you and you can call me. We'll make it work."

I bit my lip. "Edward..."

"Just say yes, Bella," he said. He was looking at me tenderly, cupping my face in his warm hands gently. It made me turn all soft and jelly-like inside. No one else had ever made me feel like this; no one had even come close and right then, my mind and heart were set.

We'd make it work.

Of course school would come first, because we both had the same high ambitions, but the three strenuous and stressful years ahead would be more bearable because we'd be together – probably not physically, but we were going to do this.

"Yes," I said, clear and firm, and Edward's face broke into the largest grin I had ever seen on him, and it dazzled me just as much as his crooked smile.

"Yes to what?" Edward asked, looking at me with a look of wonder, searching my face for any indication of whatever it was that I was thinking.

"I trust you, Edward," I said truthfully and reached out to touch his face, watching the wonder in his eyes being replaced by a glimmer of hope. "We'll make it work."

"So you'll be my girlfriend?" he insisted for clarification, and I grinned.

"Yes." I laughed and a wave of happiness washed over me, making me feel lightheaded and giddy.

Edward picked me up in his arms and twirled me around, despite the fact that we were on the edge of the boat. He laughed out loud into the quiet night and as the first of the fireworks ignited the dark sky, I felt him shift closer to me, pulling me gently into his arms and cupping my face again softly.

"Bella," he whispered, his voice caressing my name like royal velvet. I could feel his sweet breath wash over my face, warm and inviting.

His face was closer than ever before to mine, and before I knew what was happening, he leaned down and closed his eyes, pressing his lips softly against mine. This wasn't how I had imagined my first kiss – it was so much better. My eyes instantly closed, and the way his lips moved against mine made a tingle run down my back. I could take him fully now, all minty and sweet, just so Edward. I lost myself in his warm embrace and my hands ran through his hair, my fingers weaving through and pulled myself closer to him, and I moaned in pleasure.

I felt his tongue tracing my lips and I suddenly didn't know what to do, but acting on instinct, I parted my mouth and felt his tongue enter, touching mine for the first time. As I pulled away to breathe, I kept my eyes closed and nuzzled into his chest.

"Look at me, Bella," he said with joy in his voice.

Only then did I open my eyes, and I felt my heart speed up at the look on his face. His sparkling green eyes showed so much hope and adoration that I was left speechless.

"You're amazing," I said with awe. "I'm so happy right now, and it's all because of you. Thank you so much for doing this, Edward. It's really special."

"I wanted it to be special for you," he replied.

Happiness burst inside of me like never before and Edward laughed, showering me with kisses.

As I snuggled against his arms and watched the fireworks light up the sky, I hoped this could be the beginning of forever.

* * *

Massive thank you to tiffanyanne3 and thalia_csiny for their awesome beta'ing.

I'm sorry this was out so late, but RL keeps getting in the way. Next chapter should be up in around a week since I have more time now :)

Happy New Year, everyone!

Review? You know I love them =)


	9. Age 15: Collision, Part 1

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**Age 15**

**Bella**

_The water dazzles under the rare sunshine_

_Like a million tiny facets of diamonds_

_Yet all fades by the sparkle in your eyes, the stunning smile on your face_

_You are my sunshine, and no measure of nature compares_

_I had the best Christmas in New York with you. _

_Can't wait for the summer._

_Love, _

_Edward_

My fingers glided over the paper, feeling the dents, which were caused by an eraser. I could see him in my mind, writing the poem, rubbing out his words, again and again, until they looked like what he wanted. I've read the poem over a hundred times now since this morning when Charlie dropped the mail off at the kitchen counter. I jumped off the stool and raced up to my room, placing it in my small box of gifts from my friends and family. There wasn't much in there, and more than half were from Edward – his letters and gifts, which have kept me sane and happy during the tough times at school and now, away from him.

I missed Edward so much; I missed his laugh, his smile and his unique scent, which I would bottle if I could. He came and surprised me last Christmas, with all our friends and their parents, too. It was becoming harder and harder to say goodbye to him. I had made sure I kissed him a dozen times before he left.

_Flashback_

_I waited alone in the dining room, looking at Renee and Phil, who were laughing together, watching some comedy show on the TV. It was as though I wasn't here at all. Charlie was now going off to the airport to pick up some "unexpected guests" who I believed to be his old friends from Forks – perhaps Billy and his son, Jacob? Christmas has never been such a dismal event. He was probably going to take a couple of hours as the snow was clearing, but not fast enough it seemed. I hated snow. _

_I hated the wet and the cold. With both of them together, New York was like hell. _

"_Bella!" Charlie called. _

_I jumped. He was here already? As I made my way past the living room, to open the front door, I could hear loud footsteps – a lot of footsteps. Curiosity coursed through me, and I fumbled with the lock. Who the hell was Charlie bringing home? The whole population of Forks? _

"_Bella!" a pleasantly familiar voice said as I opened the door. _

_I looked up and could not believe my eyes. I looked at him in disbelief and shock, unable to form a sentence, never mind a greeting._

"_I missed you so much," Edward said, his voice like soft velvet. "So damn much."_

_It was Charlie's gruff voice which brought me down to Earth. "Get a move on, Bells. Heaps of people coming through."_

_I blinked. "Sorry, Dad."_

_I held Edward's large hand in mine and led him upstairs. _

"_Edward?" I said tentatively. _

_He smiled my favorite crooked smile. "Bella?"_

_I launched myself at him, my lips crashing onto his gently, but firmly. His fingers snaked into my hair, and my hand automatically moved to his neck. The kiss was heavenly, and when we had to break away to catch our breath, I could still feel the electric-like tingle course through my body. _

"_I missed you so much," I murmured against his lips. _

"_Me, too." His sweet breath fanned onto my face, surprisingly refreshing, before pressing his lips onto mine again. _

I smiled at the happy memory, lingering on the details, and slung my schoolbag over my shoulder and headed out onto the busy street. Trust Charlie to pick out an apartment that was right next to the busiest intersection in all of Syracuse. Sure, it was convenient and all, but I was sure we could both do with a small house in the quieter region of the vicinity. I didn't think it was possible that it would be the cars honking in the early morning which would wake me up, instead of my alarm clock.

"Hey, Bella!" Angela called, waving at me from the far end of the road. "Remember me?"

My eyes widened in recognition. I hadn't seen her in such a long time. She had grown out her layers, and her hair was now way past her shoulders.

"Ang!" I said excitedly, racing toward her, ignoring the curious stares of passersby. "I haven't seen you in _ages_!"

I hugged her tightly. I couldn't believe it had been months since I had last seen her, even though we would still keep in touch by calling each other. So much for high school; it seemed that I could never have a friend who I could always talk to, whenever I wanted.

"How's Ben?" I asked, teasing her slightly. Angela had the biggest crush on Ben the past year, but she never told me anything about it. She was just like me – shy, and a little secretive.

Angela's eyes brightened at the mention of his name. "Oh, you would _never _guess! He actually asked me out last month!"

"Wow!" I replied, surprised. "How come you never told me?"

Angela rolled her eyes. "You always side-stepped that topic whenever I talk to you."

I offered her a weak smile as I realized that she had noticed. "Yeah…well, I – "

"So," she interrupted, smiling triumphantly, "how's it going with Edward?"

I groaned and blushed furiously. _You have got to be kidding me. _"All right, psychic, you guessed right, okay?"

Angela clapped her hands and squealed in excitement, acting very much like Alice. "I _knew _it! You guys are so perfect for each other."

I shrugged, hoping that the action looked offhanded, wishing that what she said could make all the doubt bubbling inside me go away. I hated being so far away from Edward. It made me wonder what he was doing right now. I was glad Rose and I had parted on friendly terms, and I hoped that next time I saw her, she would still be pleasant around me.

"No, I meant what I said," she said. "If you see it from my point of view, whenever he looks at you, it's like he's looking at something endearing."

"Thanks, Ang," I said gratefully. This was why I sometimes preferred spending time by myself or with Leah, the quiet girl who I managed to suck up the courage to talk to this year. Angela was too perceptive.

"Well, I guess we both have school now, right?" she said, her voice miserable.

I nodded. "It was nice to see you again. Maybe you could come to Forks with me sometime and catch up with our friends. Edward misses you, and so does Alice."

Angela grinned at me. "Wow, really? Thanks for the offer. Dad's been badgering me about holiday plans now that there is about two weeks 'til school finishes."

"Well, I hope you can come along. Charlie won't mind."

Angela suddenly laughed nervously. "Um, Bella?"

I looked up from the ground and saw that Angela was biting her lip, looking like she was deep in thought. "What's up?"

I saw her suck in a deep breath and I frowned. "You know you can tell me anything, even if it's about boy problems or something like – "

"Bella," Angela suddenly said. "Do you think it's okay if Ben tags along? I mean…" she trailed off, embarrassed.

I laughed. "You seriously thought I was going to say no? Oh, Ang! Of _course _Ben can come along! I'm sure you both could bunk together with me if you like."

"Thanks, Bella," Angela said, hugging me tightly. "I really appreciate it. Thanks for being such a good friend to me."

"You, too, Ang," I whispered back. "Thanks so much for sticking up for me at school and being my friend."

"Meet up after school?" she asked hopefully.

"You bet. I miss our old ice frappe times." I laughed.

…

I was restless with excitement all day at school, and it wasn't because the summer vacation was drawing nearer. It was just that I wanted to see Angela again.

"Miss Swan?" Mr. Banner's sharp voice cut through my reverie. "Answer to question six?"

"Uh," I said, looking down at the textbook in front of me and realizing that I wasn't even on the right page.

"169," Leah whispered so discretely Mr. Banner wouldn't have noticed.

"169," I replied, hoping that I sounded convincing.

Banner looked down at the notes in front of him and raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Correct, Miss Swan."

I saw Lauren whisper something to Jessica, who smirked back, but I breathed a sigh of relief and mouthed a "thank you" to Leah, who smiled back timidly. I hoped that this little interaction in class could lead into friendship; after all, I didn't have any friends in this school. I wasn't technically a geek – I made the track and volleyball teams–but I getting good marks were too off-putting for the queen bees of the school.

Lauren and Jessica were on the cheerleading squad, who hung out with jocks like Mike.

"So, little miss perfect, aren't you?" Lauren said snidely as I hurried to my final class of the day.

"I…uh," I stammered, stopping to look at her in the eyes and wished that I hadn't. "I have Bio next."

The way I said it sounded pathetic, and I wanted to hit myself in the forehead. Why did it come out like an excuse? I wasn't scared of Lauren, was I?

"Do you think I give a shit what class you have next?" Lauren laughed cruelly. "Jess and I overheard the conversation with your friend Angela today. So…who's Edward?"

I tensed up. This I was not expecting. "_That_," I emphasized firmly, "is none of Jess or your business."

Lauren snorted. "Yeah, sure. So…he's some dumb geek you're madly in love with back in Forks?"

Anger raged through my whole body. _Who did this ignorant bitch think she was? How dare she talk about Edward like that? _"If you must know, he is _not _some dumb geek. He's the best person I've ever met," I said coldly, keeping calm instead of doing something rash, which I would regret later. Half of me wanted to add on the additional information about his attractive physical appearance, but I knew that the more she knew about him, the more she would badger me, which I certainly didn't want because Edward spent a lot of time with me now.

"I need to go to my next class," I added harshly, pushing into her and ended up jogging into the classroom with everyone staring at me.

"You're late, Miss Swan," Mr. Molina said sharply, peering over his glasses to look at me sternly.

_Oh wow, thanks for the clarification, but I'm pretty damn sure I know I'm late when the whole class is already seated. _"I'm sorry, sir," I muttered instead, clenching my fists tightly.

"Please take your seat," he said in a bored tone.

I went quickly to my seat, only to find that the seat next to me was no longer empty. _Apparently Molina decided to make some stupid new seating arrangements_, I thought glumly.

"Wassup, Bella?" Mike said loudly, grinning cockily at me.

"What…the…hell…are…you...doing…sitting _here_?" I asked, outraged that the teacher could assign me with the worst Bio student in the entire school history. Mike's head was thicker than a troll's, and I was willing to bet that he couldn't tell the difference between a prophase and a prometaphase mitosis.

Mike laughed. "Howdy, partner."

"Is there a problem here, Miss Swan?" Molina asked, obviously frustrated and annoyed now.

_Yes, and the reason is the dumb blob of crap assigned to sit right next to me…oh, and it's all because of you, I guess_. "Yes, is it possible for me to sit next to…Leah?" I asked. My probing eyes finally landed on a spare seat right next to her.

"I'm afraid not, Miss Swan. Mr. Yorkie is absent today, which explains the spare seat. This is a biology class, not the cafeteria. My class is not designed for enjoyment, but concentration and hard work," he said sternly. Was he really going to try to make my life more miserable? I wasn't asking much, was I? I was a straight-A student, not some good-for-nothing space-waster like that Newton guy.

Turning back to the class as I slumped into my seat reluctantly, the teacher continued. "As I was saying, this assignment will be completed evenly with your assigned partner, who is sitting next to you. I have given all of you a log, which must be completed everyday, stating what you did each day."

I stared at the clock, ignoring Mike, who sat smiling at me like a fool, and counted down the minutes until class was finally over. I had never felt so relieved for the bell to ring. Luckily, the lesson turned out to be a lecture, and I didn't even have to bother gathering my stuff. I stormed out of the classroom as fast as I could.

I took the short cut to the coffee shop, hoping that I wasn't late. One of the things I noticed about this place that was different from Forks was the number of traffic lights and crossings. There were seas of people on every street, and as I squished past them in a hurry, I could feel their eyes burning into my back, probably wondering if I was crazy.

I came to a stop in front of the crossing to the café, catching my breath.

_Already there? _I texted Angela.

_Yeah. Look into the glass window on the right. _She texted back.

I looked up to see Angela grinning at me, and I waved back, jumping up and down in excitement.

As I walked toward her, I heard a car honking and some people yelling. I looked to my right and saw, horrified, that a black sedan was speeding out of control toward me. My legs were stiff and frozen, and I did the one thing I possibly could – I cringed and waited for the collision.

Everything was suddenly happening in slow motion. The car's driver was yelling at someone or something, but it was too late – I felt a horrible pain in my lower left leg and an ache in my forehead which made me see red, blurring my vision. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was Angela's horrified face in the café glass window.

…

"You think she's okay?" a worried voice asked. "She's not…uh…what's the word…paralyzed or something?"

A dry chuckle came out of a man's throat. "No. Just give her some time. Morphine has been given to sedate her, which explains why she's so still right now."

A breath of relief from the woman, who had obviously been crying. "Oh, gosh! I was becoming so worried!"

"I'll leave you with her now. Just call me in if anything happens, if she moves a little or shows a sign of waking up."

"Thank you so much, Dr. Gerandy," the woman murmured in appreciation.

"You're welcome."

A door closed quietly and I felt the woman's warm hand touch my cheek.

"Oh, Bella!" she sobbed. "I was so worried about you. Charlie called me and the next thing I did was take the next plane to New York."

_Don't cry, Mom, _I tried to tell her, but I was too weak to even move a finger. My head felt heavier than a blue whale. _I'm fine_.

"You've been in a coma for three days and finally today the doctor saw some signs of improvement. Charlie just left to get a cup of coffee when I arrived," Renee rambled on before sighing again. "Oh, Bella."

My brain was fighting against me relentlessly. I wanted to open my mouth and soothe my mother's worries, but I was still too drowsy. I tried to catch on to what she was saying next, but I only caught "doctor...memory…affected…" before succumbing back into dark murky waters.

…

"Bella!" someone whispered, and even though the voice sounded horrified, it was still smooth, soft, velvet-like. An _angel's _voice.

A large, cool hand touched my fingers, which weren't bandaged, and I was soothed by the touch, but I was brought almost back to the surface when a sharp pain burned my stomach.

"Ah," I gasped out as an involuntary response but no one seemed to have heard me.

_I'm right here. I can hear! _I wanted to scream. It seemed like this was what it felt like to be in a coma. I had watched countless hours of medical dramas on the TV on the Saturdays that Charlie decided to leave the quiet house for work.

The door opened and the weight sitting on my bed disappeared.

"Dr. Gerandy," the velvety voice said. "Is it possible for me to ask you something?"

"Sure, why not?" the doctor said in an amicable voice.

"Do…" the angelic voice said, troubled. "Do you think that Bella is aware…that she can hear us?"

The doctor sighed. "She might be able to, some bits here and there, but the drugs to keep her painless will affect her brain, making her a little drowsy, and dragging her back into sleep again."

"So," the soft voice asked, thoughtful, "so it's okay if I talk to her because there might be a chance that she can…hear me?"

"Nothing's wrong with that. For all we know, she might be listening all this time…just waiting for enough energy to fully wake."

"Thanks for your time. I appreciate it." The angel was courteous, and I could hear a rustle of papers.

"I'm just here to check her blood levels, and to monitor her progress so far."

"How's she doing?"

"Better than expected. She's a strong one, she is," the doctor added.

The angel chuckled. "She's always loved sports, and she's very stubborn, too."

Dr. Gerandy sighed. "Well, I'm off to the children's ward," he said, before muttering, "Broken ribs, a broken fibula, a head wound, this kid's had a handful."

His explanation made sense to me; I could feel some soreness around my chest, but a broken _leg_? How was I going to compete in the track trainings next year? Or try out for the girls' basketball team? It was the first time I was thankful that studying didn't need to involve any movement, or I was going to fall behind in everything when school starts again in September.

The cool, soothing hand touched me again, and I felt a bit of the pain in my chest disappear.

"Bella," the angel said, his voice filled with tears. "I'm really worried about you. I was going to surprise you next week, but I guess, you kind of beat me to the punch."

I felt him press a gentle kiss onto my cheek before continuing. "All I want is for you to get better. I'll be back tomorrow," he murmured. "Please, Bella. Please get better. I don't want to let go of the best thing in my life."

A warm tear dropped onto my eyelid, and it stung a bit, but what hurt more was my heart. I didn't want my angel to cry. It was wrong for him to do so.

A shuffled footstep and the door closed softly. I was all alone again, but wait…there's still a quiet, on-going sniffle at the foot of my bed. I listened harder. Who could it be?

"Bella?" It was a girl's voice. So soft and gentle. _Angela_, I thought miserably. I didn't know what she saw lying in this bed, but I was almost certain it looked a lot worse than it seemed. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to rush you or anything. I know it's my fault you're here."

_No, _I thought desperately. _No, don't think that. Angela – it's not your fault. _

I wanted to tell her it wasn't her fault, that it was my bad day which caused me to be so unfocused. I wanted to shake some sense into her, and not let her continue to wallow in guilt.

"I really hope you're okay, and if you're listening, I just want to say I'm sorry," she gushed on. "A…friend of yours sent some flowers in. They're a light blue color, kind of pretty…from Mike Newton."

I wanted to laugh, scream and cry out with mirth – Mike Newton, _sending me flowers_? What kind of joke was that?

"Anyway, he wishes you good luck on your recovery, and hopes that you will get better soon so that the science project can be done on time."

I had never been a violent person, but right now, I really wanted to bash Newton's head and hope that it will also squash his inflated ego to zero. Who the hell did he think he was – the stupid, dumb jock? I had no idea why girls like Lauren and Jessica like to hang out with him and his gang, but I guess to them, popularity was more important.

Frustration was wearing my brain down, and I lost the battle with my body, falling back into the infinite darkness.

…

This time, when I drifted back almost to the surface, I immediately knew something was different. Sure, my head was fuzzy and I felt disoriented and my mouth felt so parched it seemed like my teeth had turned into sandbags, sucking up all my saliva, but I felt _energized_, and stronger. With elation, I realized I could now feel my lungs inflating and deflating. I could also feel something else – a large hand encasing my bandaged one.

A footstep and the door opened again.

"We've discontinued the use of anesthetic agent. All her vital signs are improving, so she's going to be okay. Bella should be able to hear us all now, if not before."

"That's good news," the velvety voice said, letting out a deep breath. "So when will she wake up?"

"Any time now, but don't hurry her. She'll wake when she's ready."

The door closed and a weight shifted to the edge of my bed.

"Did you hear that, Bella? Everything's okay now," the voice whispered, his breath tickling my ear. "I'm here every day, and I pray every night, hoping that you're going to be awake the next time I visit you. I…Bella, I love you. I love you, and I hope you're going to be okay when you wake up."

My breath hitched, and this time, I was certain that he could hear it. It was _Edward_. It was always Edward. And suddenly, I just _needed _to let him know that I could hear him. I wanted so badly to say the same words he uttered tentatively more than I've ever needed anything in this world. I was weak but was strong enough for this. I could do this.

I pushed through the darkness, searching for the light, and I felt my eyes flicker. The brightness in the room seared into my mind like a laser beam. I pictured Edward sitting right next to me, grasping my hand so tightly like it was a lifeline between him and me.

"Ed…ward," I managed to say out loud.

"Bella?" the angel asked, and I opened my eyes.

My clouded vision cleared almost immediately and Edward's beautiful face came into view.

Edward. He really was here, waiting for me. All this time.

His sparkling green eyes shined as they met mine, and I was rendered speechless. Again.

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A HUGE thank you to all the readers and the people over at PTB, especially my two lovely betas **Angelz1114577** and **Mel**.

This is a bit of an early update because it is only part 1. Part 2 should be up soon, but may be unbeta'ed.

Review?


	10. Age 15: Collision, Part 2

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**Age 15 (continued)**

**Bella**

"Bella?" Edward asked, breathing out deeply in relief. "How are you feeling?"

I slumped back onto the pillow, spent, but my eyes slowly flickered open, getting used to the bright white room. I thought it was all a dream–everything from the pain in my chest to the angel soothing me with his touch–but that wasn't what mattered most at the moment. Edward was here with me. In New York.

"Edward?" I rasped out, my throat dry as sandpaper.

"Oh, Bella." He sighed in relief. "I was terrified when Mom told me what happened. I….I thought you were dead."

I sighed heavily, my eyes gazing at our joined hands. "I'm fine, Edward," I tried to tell him, but he was looking at me like he was scared of me breaking or something. "I'm….I guess I'm just a little sore, but – "

Edward shook his head and gently cut me off. "You need to rest, Bella, for just a few days. I'll get you a glass of water for your throat."

I fidgeted anxiously with the tube hanging from the IV, wishing that I could just rip it off and go home. Looking around the room, waiting for Edward, my gaze finally landed on my leg. My eyes widened as I realized there was a huge cast around it. I had forgotten about what the doctor had said before, when I had still been floating under the dark waters, but it was all flooding back horrifyingly into me again.

The door opened and Edward walked back in, his eyes looking nothing but concerned. "Are you okay?"

"A broken _leg_," I croaked out. "What am I supposed to do with a broken _leg_? This summer…what am I going to _do_?"

Edward handed me a glass of water and said, "Relax, Bella. I know it's a lot to take in right now. I…I know it's not right for me to be with you…umm," he trailed off. "I'll call Renee and Charlie for you, I guess."

My heart thumped. _What…was he going to leave me so soon? _"No!" I said, my voice stronger because of the water I had gulped down. "I mean…I need to ask you something."

Edward sat down and held my hand again. "Anything, Bella."

His eyes looked nothing but sincere, and I hoped with all my heart that what he had said before wasn't my imagination.

"Edward, before you knew that I was awake…you said that you loved me. I…" I took a deep breath, feeling my cheeks heat up, and continued, "I mean…it probably was just my imagination, but…"

Suddenly, Edward's large hands were caressing my face, his face just inches from mine. My heart skipped a beat as his eyes burned into mine, dazzling me.

"I love you, Bella. I always have. I just wanted to wait for the right time to say it," he said, before adding hesitantly, "It's okay if you don't feel that way yet. I'll always wait for you."

"I love you," I said softly. "I wanted to tell you a long time ago, but I just chickened out whenever I had the chance."

Edward laughed gently, and then moved forwards until our foreheads touched. "It doesn't matter now. All that matters is you and me."

He hesitated and then pressed his warm lips very softly against mine. My hand was aching to touch him, but the IV connected to my hand strained my arm. Instead of twining my arm around his neck, I touched his arm gently and kissed him back, my lips moving fluidly against his.

The door opened and Edward pulled back abruptly.

My eyes widened at who was standing there.

"Mom!" I said, my voice full of love.

She was standing by the door so still, like she had seen a ghost, but after what she had probably witnessed, I guessed it was a reasonable reaction. The room was silent for a second, until Edward spoke.

"I'll give you two ladies some privacy," he said, standing up and walking towards the door. "Renee, thank you for all the support you have given me these past days. It means a lot to me."

The door closed softly behind him and my mother seemed to come back to life.

She had a knowing look on her face and I groaned internally. "So," she smiled. "You and Edward, huh?"

"Mom, I'm so glad you're here!" I said in what I thought was a bright and happy tone, hoping that I could manage to steer the conversation away from Edward.

My plan seemed to work. Her face softened immediately, and as she bent down and gave me an awkward hug, I felt tears on my cheeks.

"I was so worried!" she said, brushing some strands of hair back from my forehead. "You were in a coma and everyone seemed so grim about the situation and I…"

She shook her head, apparently lost for words.

"Mom, I'm so sorry, but I'm fine now," I said soothingly, trying to comfort her.

"You've got a broken leg and some fractured ribs," she croaked out with tears in her eyes. "And that doesn't even cover it. There are some scrapes on your forehead…and honey, if you do this to me one more time, I'll lock you up in the apartment. I _knew _New York was too dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. "Mom, it's okay. New York's great. I have some friends here–have you met Angela?"

"The girl with the brown hair? She's a lovely person. Did she mention that a friend of yours snuck in to give you some flowers?"

I stopped smiling. "Wait–Mike was here?"

Renee laughed, and I was glad that she was going back to her normal self. "No, silly. The hospital wouldn't let him, but I thought it was sweet that he gave you some flowers you know…There aren't many boys like him anymore."

My happy mood was replaced by annoyance. I glowered at my mom. "What about Edward?"

"Oh, honey. He's great, but you know, it wouldn't hurt to have some male friends, too." She sighed and smiled at me. "And talking about Edward, it seems that you have some explaining to do, young lady."

"Mom," I said hesitantly. "I really do like him, and he likes me, too."

Renee surprised me by laughing out loud. "Oh, Bells! I'm not here to criticize you or anything. I think everyone in the family was waiting for the day you two would figure out what you guys meant to each other. Esme and I used to laugh about the way Edward seemed to watch over you. It's really sweet."

"You gossip too much," I complained as she continued to reminisce about my childhood.

"Just promise to take good care of yourself, okay?" she said, her voice suddenly serious. "No more accidents. I swear, next time you'll give me a heart attack."

I laughed and rolled my eyes again. "Mom, you said that to me when I was six because I knocked your mug onto the floor."

Renee had always been erratic and childlike; her reactions to things were as predictable as next month's weather. Charlie had always said that it was my hare-brained mother who made me more responsible and able to wash dishes at a really young age.

She checked her phone and looked up at me smiling. "Phil's just finished ball practice. I'll be back later with Charlie, okay? He'll be thrilled to hear you're awake already."

"Okay, Mom. Can you tell Edward to come in on your way out?"

Renee kissed my forehead and whispered, "Sure, sweetheart. I love you. Take care."

I fidgeted uncomfortably. Renee and I hadn't been this close in years, and I replied hesitantly, "Love you too, Mom."

My face lit up when the door opened again after my mother left, hoping that it was Edward, but it turned out to be a nurse.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, checking my tubes and heart monitor. "Are you experiencing any dizziness? Soreness?"

I shook my head. "Just a little tired."

The nurse, who looked to me like she was in her early twenties, smiled at me. "Just relax and take it easy. It seems that there was some impact on your brain, and if you feel a little confused, just call a nurse or your doctor, okay?"

She shuffled some papers on the clipboard and took some notes.

"Do you have any questions? Worries?" she asked.

I nodded. "When can I start walking?"

"Your leg is fractured and it is best if there is no pressure on it during the recovery," she said, observing me carefully. "You're still a teenager, so you should recover quite quickly. I'll call in Dr. Gerandy if you like."

"No," I said quickly. "I'll be fine."

The nurse nodded, checking my heartbeat again before leaving.

I closed my eyes, feeling weaker after the conversation. _Relax, Bella. That's what the nurse told you to do,_ I told myself. I was about to give in when a cool hand pressed onto my forehead gently.

"Bella?" Edward asked. "Are you okay?"

My eyes flickered open. "I'm okay. I just want to go home."

He chuckled softly. "So impatient."

I glared at him. "Shut up. You're lucky you aren't confined in a bed all day."

Edward's smile slid off his face immediately, and I wondered what I had said that was wrong. "You'll get better quickly, Bella. Then we'll spend the summer together, just like we planned."

My heart sped up at the mention of summer. I was going to spend as much time as I could with Edward this vacation and make the most of it. He lived miles away from me, and we only got a couple of months each year to be together.

"I'll be stuck at home, though," I said miserably. "And so will you."

"But we'll be together," he said firmly, as though that fact could cure all the problems.

I yawned. God, I was _spent._

"Go to sleep, Bella," Edward said, squeezing my hand gently. "I'll be here when you wake up."

"Promise?" I asked, my voice slurring a bit.

"Promise."

The white room blurred and closed in over me.

…

"Bella!" someone chirped. "I'm here! Did you miss me?"

My eyes opened and focused on a girl with dark spiky hair. "Al-Alice?" I asked. "What are you doing here?"

Alice pouted. "What? Aren't you happy to see me?"

I giggled softly. I couldn't believe she could be hurt because of what I had just said. I was just surprised, that's all. "Of course I'm happy!" I assured her. "You're here…and so is…"

My eyes landed on Emmett and he grinned.

"Hey, Bells." He chuckled. "How's the leg going?"

"Alright, I guess. I'm not sure," I admitted.

"So, no water fight this summer?" he asked, teasing me, and if I could have slapped him with my arm, I would have, but he was just standing too far away. Thank God the nurses had removed the wretched IV.

"Em," I groaned. "You're supposed to be supporting me. This summer is going to be hell if you're going to be so negative!"

"Negative?" he snorted. "You know who's negative? That pain in the ass boyfriend you have, who is currently taking a leak for the first time in a week. He never leaves your side, does he?"

Emmett boomed out a loud laugh and knocked Alice out of her seat while Alice squealed out a "hey!".

"What the hell is going on?" The door opened and Edward stood there, looking like he wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. "What are you doing to Bella?"

"Oh, c'mon, Eddie!" Em guffawed, slapping him on the back. "I was just telling Bella something funny about your stench. What's with this hospital? Everyone here smelling like five-day-old shit!"

Edward ran a hand through his hair and groaned. "Em, seriously. Bella's injured, and she's not going to put up with you clowning around."

"Awww, don't get all soft right now. Bella's as healthy as a horse," Emmett said loudly. "No, seriously. You need to loosen up a little or Jazz will mistake you for Carlisle when he comes. You've got stress lines…and wait, is that a grey hair over there?"

"Fucking bastard," Edward muttered under his breath.

I burst out laughing. It was _so _Emmett to say something like that, but Edward really was tensed up. I'd never heard Edward swear like that before, but it didn't sound offensive to me; it sounded _hot_.

"Hey, did everyone forget about me here?" Alice said, glaring at Emmett.

I was going to console her but Emmett butted in. "'Course not," he said. "You may be small, but you have a girly aura no one can stand. Not even Rose."

I rolled my eyes at his statement, but Alice looked like she was ready to take his head off, so I decided to calm her down. "Alice, maybe we can go shopping or something when I can finally walk, because I won't be able to play sports this vacation. We'll have heaps of fun together."

Alice's eyes widened in excitement. "Really? Shopping in New York again? That's great! Maybe we can invite Angela and some of your other friends," she gushed. "Oh, I really have to start making a list of necessities for your wardrobe then, and maybe-"

Emmett groaned out loud. "You just punctured a water pipe, Bells."

Edward laughed and my body rejoiced at the sound of it. I was glad that he was beginning to loosen up, even though I knew he was worried about me.

"Dr. Gerandy came in when you were sleeping and I asked him about your leg. He said to give it a month, so maybe it won't be as bad as you think it will be," Edward said when the room had calmed down.

My eyebrows rose in surprise. "Really?" I asked excitedly. Just a_ month_. Then I could start walking normally and everything.

The door opened and Charlie came in. "Bells," he said, grinning. "You feeling okay now?"

I looked at him suspiciously. He was acting a little weird and seemed to be hiding something behind his back. "I'm great," I answered cautiously. "What's that you got behind you?"

Charlie winked at Edward, which made me even more confused. "A _surprise_."

"Okay," I said, not getting it.

Charlie chuckled and held a pair of crutches in his hands. "You're gonna learn how to use _these _today."

My mouth fell open. "Wait…I'm going to be able to get up today?"

Edward smiled the crooked smile I loved so much. "Yes," he said simply.

Emmett whistled, impressed that I was really going to try. "Do I get to help her?"

I hated how he thought I was weak. I mean, fine – I'm a girl, but surely he didn't think every single female fit in the same mold, right? I wasn't an Alice or a Rosalie, and definitely _not _a Tanya.

Edward glared at him. "You always manage to get your way, but if she ends up with a scratch or a bruise, you're dead."

Instead of feeling pressured and scared, Emmett roared with laughter. "You're kidding, right? I could beat you up in no time whenever, wherever."

Charlie cleared his throat and Em shut up at once. "So Bells? You ready for it? Dr. Gerandy's outside waiting. You're lucky he's got free time right now."

I shrugged and felt my chest tighten at the movement. _Crap_, I thought. I had forgotten my ribs were healing, too.

It turned out that getting me off the bed was the hardest. I felt a little disoriented as my head swirled–I had been lying in the hospital bed for far too long, I realized.

"Whoa," I said. "Head rush."

Edward chuckled. "It's because you've been in bed for so long, sleepy head."

_Thank God his humor is coming back_, I thought. I missed that Edward so much.

The rest of the day was spent outside in the small garden where Dr. Gerandy occasionally assisted me with the crutches. I had once dreamed of using those wretched things–when Leah sprained her foot and the whole class got excited instead of upset for her because we all got to use them. It wasn't as fun as I had imagined.

"Oof." I fell onto the bench, spent.

Dr. Gerandy chuckled. "I think you've done yourself justice today. If you experience any leg pain, don't hesitate to ask for one of the nurses. I think you're good to go tomorrow–I just want to make sure your condition is completely stable."

I grinned. _I am good to go tomorrow. _Just one more day. Thank God. "Thank you so much for helping me today, doc."

I was restless that night as mixed emotions coursed through me. Sure, I was disappointed that once I got home, there wasn't much I could do. All the stuff I wanted to do, like playing basketball and having water fights with Edward in La Push, I was positive I wasn't going to do for at least a month, but at least my friends were going to be there for me. I would make sure to include Angela and Ben as well.

The nurse came shuffling into my room bright and early the next morning, which I was thankful for.

She smiled at me and said, "Sweetie, I think you're all good. Just take it easy on your ribs – you still need to apply those bandages for a few more days until there is no pain."

"Really?" My eyebrows shot up. That was it? I could just…go?

The nurse chuckled. "Your father and a young man are outside waiting for you. Your doctor suggested you take a hot shower when you get home and don't get too stressed about your leg."

I nodded. That was something I could compromise on. "Okay."

"How's the leg?" Edward asked as we got ushered to the car by Charlie.

I smiled at him. "It's great. Actually, yesterday I managed to limp around the garden for half an hour before falling over."

Edward laughed. "You're not usually that clumsy, are you?"

I glared at him. "You're so mean–just like you were ten years ago."

Charlie cleared his throat loudly, which put an end to our argument. "I'm gonna drop you guys off at home and then I gotta head back to the office, okay? No fighting – I don't want to come back home and see you guys in a bloody mess on the floor, because I get enough of that at the station, got it?"

"Got it," Edward said, grinning at me.

…

Emmett greeted me with a bear hug when I got home.

"Em!"I gasped as a stinging sensation ripped through my chest. I hoped that he hadn't managed to fracture my ribs again or I was going to kill him. "My ribs, remember?"

Emmett let go of me at once like I was a boiling hot kettle. "Oops," he said, and then whispered, "Please don't tell Edward or he's gonna ask Charlie to take you back to the hospital for another check-up. This place has been a little odd without you."

I snorted. "He's not _that _ridiculous, is he?"

Em looked at me seriously. "No, I'm not kidding. He's like your over-protective guardian angel."

I stifled a laugh as Edward came into the living room. "Who's an angel?"

"No one," Em and I said at the same time, and we both burst out laughing again.

Edward looked at me questioningly as though he was waiting for an explanation, but I'd rather have another check-up than tell him what had just happened.

"Nothing. Em was just talking rubbish like he always does," I tried saying offhandedly and wasn't surprised when Edward raised his eyebrows. I wasn't exactly the best actress.

"Hey!" Emmett said indignantly.

Edward grinned at him. "Well, it's true. All you do is talk shit, even in front of my girlfriend's father. What kind of idiot does that?"

"I did not talk shit in front of Charlie!" Em replied hotly.

"What about the time you arrived at the hospital and, instead of greeting Charlie, you asked him if he had any Doritos in his house?" Edward challenged.

"Okay, guys," I said, standing awkwardly in between them. My crutches were becoming a massive handicap for me. "Can we talk about something different?"

Edward turned back to me. "So who's the angel?" he whispered quietly so Em couldn't hear.

I looked down. Thank God I hadn't told anyone else about what I thought I heard when I was half-unconscious at the hospital. "It really was nothing, Edward," I said, looking at Edward, pleading for him to let this go.

Edward chuckled and took me in his arms. "Well," he whispered, his face so close to mine. "You'll always be my angel."

I reached out for him the same time he did, and I pulled him down so I could press my lips onto his in a firm, yet still gentle kiss. I moved my fingers into his hair, holding him tightly against me. Unfortunately, a loud throat clearing in front of us ruined the blissful moment.

"Dude, don't upset my stomach!" Em complained, hitting Edward on the head playfully. "I just ate a pack of donuts."

Edward was too busy looking at me to care. "Go find Rose, then," he said, leaning in to kiss me again.

…

One of my feet splashed around in the water while I watched all my friends swimming around in the creek. Emmett turned towards me and lobbed a large amount of mud onto my face.

"Em!" I yelled as he swam away. "What was that for?"

"I thought you said you wanted to have a water fight?" he asked innocently.

I let out a huge deep breath and ignored him. Lying down on my stomach, I gathered a large sample of mud in one hand and stood up, hopping on one foot towards the edge where Emmett was currently facing the opposite direction. My stomach tightened in anticipation – this was going to make up for all the crap I had to put up with while being on crutches.

_Splat!_

I had hit him right on the neck, where it splattered all over his hair and dripped down his bare back. Edward looked up and grinned at me, mouthing a "good job". I smiled back. Maybe having a broken leg wasn't going to be too bad after all.

Emmett turned around and let out a giant roar, scaring the wits out of me. He rubbed his eyes and laughed when he saw me.

"Oh, sorry, Bella," he apologized. "I thought you were some hooligan or something."

I grinned. "So…about this mud fight…"

Emmett grinned at me. "You in?"

I laughed. "You bet!"

I hopped towards the bank where the creek met the muddy ground and gathered blobs of mud in my hand, but I suddenly felt something wet on my back, and I realized Alice and Angela had joined in. _Guess they aren't on my team_, I thought.

Mud trickled down my face and, as I wiped it off with my shirt, I saw that Jazz, Edward, Em and Ben had all taken their shirts off. I stopped playing with the mud, mesmerized by Edward's toned chest. _God, what wouldn't I give to touch that right now_…

"You all right, Bella?" Edward asked, looking concerned.

I nodded. "I'm fine."

"I got a plan to get them all wet," Rose whispered in my ear and I grinned. "I'll pretend to fall over and they'll all come over to the edge. Then we'll chuck all that we've got and they'll be totally whipped –Edward's ego just might manage to shrink a little."

We looked over at him, where he was currently doing a touchdown dance because he had managed to get Emmett's face fully into the water.

"Okay," I said. This could be fun.

The ground sloshed as I hopped towards the build-up of wet dirt Rose had gathered. Rose fell over and let out a loud "Shit!", startling the passers-by who were walking their dogs in the park. _Yes!_ I thought as Emmett and Edward scrambled towards her. Ben and Jazz, who were not as athletic, were only trailing inches behind, which I was thankful for.

I could see Rose smiling as she crouched down, pretending to be in pain but was actually holding two large handful of mud in her hands. Edward was the first to come and Rose gave him a head full of mud while I splashed Em, accidentally getting some in his mouth as it was half-opened, calling out for Rose.

"Hey!" Edward said. "What was that for?"

Rose and I grinned at each other. "Fooled you all."

The guys looked pissed off and a little exhausted, so we all headed back towards the apartment, leaving wet and dirty footprints behind us. The soft plastic covering my cast was slipping and I hoped that it wasn't wet. The hospital was a place I now dreaded to go back.

As I hobbled back to my room after showering/cleaning off, I saw that Edward was waiting for me.

"So, you managed to fool me, huh?" he said, grinning at me.

_Uh, oh_, I thought. _Here comes trouble. _

I sat on my bed, my back against the headboard, before replying.

"Uh, yes?" I squeaked out pathetically. _God, Bella – who the hell is scared of their own boyfriend?_

Edward laughed at me and lay beside me on the bed, tickling me until I had tears in my eyes.

"That's for what you did at the creek," he said as I recovered.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You don't play by the rules."

Edward smiled cockily. "Never said I did. I'm super awesome. I don't need rules."

"You know, I think Rose was right," I told him. "Your ego's going to take up all the time we're going to have together."

Edward snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Where are you going to sleep tonight?" I wondered aloud, changing the topic. "Where do you sleep these days?"

Edward looked down, clearly uncomfortable. "Charlie said I could take your room."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. I looked around my room and found the evidence – a pair of blue shorts on my bathroom floor.

"Well, I obviously don't have to anymore," Edward rushed on "I'll share with Em, Jazz, Rose, Alice, Ang, and Ben. They have two guest rooms to themselves. And your mom and Phil stayed in a hotel nearby so…"

"Edward, relax," I said. "Of course you can stay in the same room as me."

The words left my mouth before I knew what I was saying. I blushed and looked away. Sure, Edward was Edward – the boy I used to have baths with when I was five–but this was different. He was my boyfriend, and him sleeping in the same room as me…the same _bed_…what would my friends think? And never mind my friends – what about Charlie?

"Charlie probably won't let you," he said, confirming what I had been thinking before.

I smiled at him and winked. "Well, you could always _sneak _in."

Edward grabbed my face roughly and molded his lips against mine. "I might just take you up on the offer, then," he said as we broke apart, gasping for air.

"Bella," he suddenly said, sitting us both up. "Can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure. What's wrong?" Edward was looking kind of weird and he wasn't looking at me.

He took in a deep breath and said in a rush, "Have you ever kissed anyone besides me?"

I felt myself going red. "N-no. Why?"

Edward nodded. "Just wondering. So I really am the only guy you've kissed?"

"Yes," I laughed. "And I'm glad that's true."

Edward looked at me incredulously, and I shook my head.

"Edward, no guy in the world could compare to you. You make me feel special and happy – no one has ever given me this much."

"I have to tell you something, though," he said softly. "You're not going to like it and I was scared to tell you but…"

"What is it," I probed. I was probably too narrow-minded to think of anything too extreme, so I was just going to let him tell me.

"I've kissed girls before – heaps," he blurted out with a disgusted look on his face. "I've had sex before, too."

My mouth opened in shock and my stomach seemed to drop a little. I really didn't know what to say, or why he decided to tell me right now.

"Um," I gasped out. I felt like a slug was inside my stomach. I got off the bed and hopped towards the bathroom, in case I puked or something.

"Bella!" I heard Edward say in alarm behind me. "Are you okay? Do you feel sick?"

I shook my head and held out a finger. "Just give me one minute," I said, closing my eyes, trying to get rid of the sick wave.

I looked into the mirror and saw Edward standing awkwardly by the door, his hands running through his hair.

"Are you okay now?" he asked as I returned to the bed.

I nodded. "Just a little shocked. Why…why did you decide to tell me?"

Edward let out a hard laugh. "I just wanted to let you know what a douche I was before I was with you. I wanted to let you know before any of our friends tell you. I just want to tell you that I have _changed_ since I met you. I don't do random hookups anymore."

"Thanks for telling me," I said in a sincere voice. I was glad that he had the courage to tell me this, because I was sure there weren't many people out there who would admit this sort of stuff.

"I just thought that…you know, just because I'll be in the same bed with you, it doesn't mean that I expect anything of that sort," he said gently, holding me tightly in his arms. "You're too special, too important to me to be messed around with."

I looked into his eyes and could see nothing but love and sincerity. It was a wonderful feeling.

The following nights Edward managed to sneak into my room without being caught by our friends or Charlie, which was a very good thing, but what I noticed, and I was positive he noticed too, was the obvious tension between us when he came in. I ached for his touch.

One night, the door opened when I could tell it wasn't even midnight.

"What are you doing here so early?" I whispered in the dark.

Edward turned on the bedside lamp and said, "Charlie's got the night shift today, remember?"

I felt an odd thrill in my stomach as I realized that we were actually alone without my dad's attentive ear for tonight.

"Well, that's good isn't it?" I whispered into his ear, my breath tickling him. His breath was becoming faster and I decided to tease him by biting gently on his ear.

Edward emitted a low growl, which made my heart speed up. "Always knew you were a little vixen. You have no idea how sexy you looked in the shopping centre. Em and I had to scare off all the guys checking you out today."

I rolled my eyes. "You've got to be kidding me."

Edward looked at me seriously. "I'm not joking, and you have no idea how that bothers me. I swear I wanted to kill all of them. Perverts."

I laughed. It was so unlike Edward to be jealous, but Jealous Edward – I liked it.

"Did I lock the door?" he asked suddenly.

I nodded, and he pulled me on top of him, pressing his lips onto mine, our tongues intertwining.

"God, I needed this so bad," Edward whispered against my lips.

I let out a small moan and he growled.

"I want to touch you, Bella," he breathed. "Will you let me touch you?"

I felt like squealing in excitement. Edward wanted to _touch _me.

"Okay," I said softly.

"Yes, what?" Edward asked me, looking at me intently. "I need you to let me know this is going to be okay."

"Yes," I said urgently. "Touch me, Edward. I love you."

"I love you, too," Edward said before crushing his lips back onto mine.

I could feel his hands move lower and lower as our lips intertwined and our tongues danced together. There was a slow ache burning below my stomach and as Edward suddenly rubbed against my apex I let out a small squeak.

"Are you okay?" he asked me, stopping all movement.

"Yes," I said quickly. "Just touch me."

Edward pulled my pants down slightly, and his hand slowly made their way into my panties, which were a little wet. His fingers parted my folds, making me feel absolutely alive. Slowly, he slid a long finger inside me.

"Edward!" I gasped. This feeling was so foreign – so electrifying.

Edward's finger pulled back and thrust a little quicker into me. The feeling of him inside me was amazing and I loved it. The ache wasn't being sated though – it wanted more; I wanted more.

"Edward, please," I begged. "Faster."

His fingers parted my folds and this time entered me with two fingers, making me moan out softly. Pleasure was beginning to ripple through me and my breath was becoming faster as each thrust of his fingers began to push into me quicker and harder. Suddenly, his thumb touched my clit and with his lips connected to mine, the overwhelming feeling began to push me over the edge.

"Edward," I rasped out. "Please."

A strange sensation was happening in my body, and I knew I had never felt anything like this before. Edward seemed to have noticed, as he began to thrust quicker than ever before. My body started to shake as large waves of pleasure rippled through me, head to toe. The walls inside me clamped around his long fingers and I cried out.

"That's it, Bella," Edward whispered. "You're coming. Come for me, Bella."

The intensity of the feeling made me weak and my eyes closed, pleasure flooding through my body as I rode out my first orgasm.

When I came back to Earth, I felt Edward lift his body off mine and he looked at me with adoration in his eyes.

"Thank you, Bella," he said, and I knew what he meant.

The lamp light cast over Edward's pants and it looked like a _bulge_ had formed inside. I didn't know how I knew what it was, but I asked timidly, "Can I see it?"

Edward laughed. "What?"

I ran a finger over the bulge softly and heard Edward let out a low hiss.

"God, really, Bella? Are you sure?"

I nodded and loosened his pajama pants.

"Is this what happens when…" I questioned.

Edward laughed again. "Yes."

We were silent for a few minutes as I traced the outline of the bulge timidly.

"Can…can you show me?" I asked softly, my face as red as a tomato now.

"You don't have to, Bella," Edward said, caressing my face gently. "It's okay if you don't."

I shook my head. "No, I _want _to see."

Edward pulled down his boxers slowly and his penis stood up, erect. I gasped at the sight of it. I had never seen one before, but Edward's…Edward's looked beautiful.

"It's beautiful," I murmured and Edward choked out laughing.

"What?" he asked, surprised. "Beautiful? It's big, Bella. That's what I'd call it."

I rolled my eyes at him. His ego was now officially taking up more than half of our relationship.

"Here, I'll show you," Edward said, holding my trembling but eager hand and running it from head to shaft. Edward let out a low moan, and I realized this was what pleasured him.

Edward let go of my hand, and I circled my fingers around the head of his penis. "Is this okay?"

"Amazing," Edward said.

I moved my hand from head to shaft and back again. The male anatomy suddenly seemed really intriguing. It was hard, but there was a soft skin around it with a vein or two, which would twitch with my hand's every move. Edward's stomach was tightening and there was a look of pleasure on his face. _What would happen if I lick it? _I wondered.

I touched the bead of pre-cum on his slit and licked it. Edward let out a loud moan.

"_Fuck_," he breathed out. "That feels so fucking amazing."

I let my mouth encase the head, wondering whether or not Edward would enjoy it, but it seemed that he did. His whole body twitched, and I tried to take in more of his dick without gagging. Suddenly, Edward let out a loud groan, and I felt him coming in my mouth. I was unsure of what to do, but I held my mouth there, taking his cum into my mouth.

_Do I swallow? What do I do? _

Edward jerked with the pleasure of his orgasm and, when he finally calmed down, he whispered, "You don't have to swallow, Bella. It's okay if you don't."

I swallowed anyway, and Edward looked at me with awe.

"Was that okay?" I asked shyly.

"Okay?" he said. "It was fucking _brilliant_."

He got up and held me tightly in his arms, carrying me to the bathroom.

"You probably need to rinse out your mouth a little," he said sheepishly when I asked what he was doing.

"That was amazing, Bella," he said softly as I rinsed my mouth out. "It's never felt like that before. I'm so glad I have someone like you – someone to share everything with."

"I love you," I said and realized there were tears on my cheeks. _Way to go, emotional Bella_.

Edward kissed my tears away and whispered his love for me.

After a year, I was still in awe that he loved me and wanted to be with me. Being with him was the best feeling in the world, and suddenly not being able to walk properly didn't seem like a problem at all.

And after what we just did, I had a feeling this summer was going to be amazing and the best one yet.

* * *

This chapter was the longest I had ever written :)

Thanks to all the readers and reviewers as well as Rags88 and AnthroBug for beta'ing this chapter.

The next chapter might take a little longer because I got caught up in the Queensland Flood because I live in the affected area. I'm guessing the next chapter will be up in a week + two days or so.

Please review :D


	11. Age 16: Home

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

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**Age 16**

**Bella**

"Who's that boy waving at you?" Charlie asked, trying to sound casual but failing.

I looked out of the window and, to my horror, I saw Mike Newton standing outside, waving his arms around madly as though he was waiting for someone to save him. Ever since last year, he was really starting to get on my nerves. Jess, Lauren and the entire cheerleading team were all hoping Mike would ask them out but funnily enough, he ignored all of them and settled to annoy _me._

"It's a guy from school," I muttered, keeping my head down and hoping that he would just go away.

Charlie looked at me thoughtfully and said, "Maybe you should go ask him what he wants – maybe he wants to talk to you about something?"

I glared at him. It wasn't normal for Charlie to encourage this sort of things, especially since I had a boyfriend. "About what?" I challenged, raising my eyebrows.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. "I don't know. School? Just…look," he swallowed a large portion of lasagne. "He's been waiting for you for ages. Just ask him what he wants."

I looked at him in horror. "Dad," I said as calmly as I could. "I have a pretty good idea what he might be asking, and I'm pretty sure I'll be saying _no_."

Charlie sighed and stood up. "There's this thing you have to understand, Bella. You know I hate seeing you miserable but you see, Edward – Edward's in _Forks_ and this long term thing you have with him, it's not healthy, Bella," he finally said. _Ah, so that's what you were troubled about. The 'long term thing' I apparently have with Edward_. "You think of him too much – I see it in your eyes and I hate to break it to you, Bella, but Edward's not going to be in the same direction as you when you're older. You might be going to a different university, and maybe..."

I felt myself shaking in anger. _What the hell was Charlie talking about? Did he want me to break up with Edward? _"And your point is?" I asked, cutting across his monologue.

Charlie looked down at me sternly. "You gotta look at the facts and face reality, okay? No more Edward this Edward that. He's a wonderful boy and I have nothing against him but I'm just going to say that it's not gonna work out."

"Dad," I spat out, "Please. Edward and I are fine. We know what we're doing."

"I just want to save you from heartbreak," Charlie retorted, his face a beet red.

I left the room and opened the door. I couldn't believe that I would ever choose to talk to Mike Newton over my dad but he was getting on my nerves and I needed some fresh air anyway.

I put a pleasant smile on my face as I saw Mike walking toward me. "Hey, Mike. What's up?"

Mike looked uncomfortable as he shuffled his feet on the doormat. "I'm just wondering if you would like to go to dinner with me or something this weekend."

I stared at him. "W-what?"

Mike was blushing so red he would put a tomato to shame, but I didn't care. He was...asking me out? What the hell? Didn't he know I was _dating _someone?

"I...I have a _boyfriend_," I said, emphasizing 'boyfriend' so that he could not possibly miss it this time.

Mike shrugged. "Just thought that you wanted to try something real, not some imaginary boyfriend you made up..."

_Oh. My. Gosh. He was really pushing me to the limit now._

"For your information," I said hotly, "Edward does exist. He lives in Forks and you know how far that is from here. He came last summer and the summer before that. What the hell don't you understand? And just so you know, Jess and Lauren will be more than happy to go out with you. Why don't you ask _them_?"

"_Lauren _is interested in me?" he asked me, surprised, and I almost burst out laughing.

"The whole bloody school is interested in you!" I exclaimed as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. "How blind are you not to notice?"

"I thought everyone liked my teammates. I always hang out with them so I guess, whenever I think they're looking at me, they're looking at _them_."

My bad mood came back. So what was he doing here now? "Well you can bugger off now," I said, trying hard not to be rude. "I just gave you a thousand options. You can leave now."

Mike nodded. "Yeah...yeah I think I will. Thanks, Bella!"

He looked at me, smiling like a dumb fool and I forced a smile back. As soon as he left, I slammed the front door shut. _Way to go, Bella. Just keep your mood in check_.

"So, what did he want?" Charlie asked, trying to act casual.

I huffed in annoyance. "He wanted to take me out for dinner."

"Oh," he replied, returning to the dinner table to finish his lasagne. "Did you say yes?"

I groaned and grabbed my dinner, heading upstairs to finish it off in my room. There was no way in hell I was going to be in the same room as Charlie anymore. He was just being ridiculous and unreasonable.

"Obviously not," I called out before I shut my door.

I looked out at the darkening sky and suddenly wished I had another sibling to talk to, or maybe just a close friend. But, who would be at home this early on Friday night? Leah had basketball practise, Emily had to babysit her neighbour's daughter, and Angela, hang on...Angela!

I leaped off my chair and dialled her number, praying silently that she would pick up.

"Bella?" Angela's voice answered in alarm. "Are you okay?"

I laughed. "I can't call you unless it's an emergency?"

"No," she replied slowly, "But you never have called before. _Is _there an emergency?"

"Nah," I said, lying down on my bed. "Just needed someone to talk to."

Angela giggled and said, "Is this something to do with Edward?"

I had no idea how Angela knew these things even though she was extremely perceptive, just like Alice. She could tell how I was feeling and what the cause of it was as well. Amazing. I was grateful to have such an awesome friend in this soulless city.

"Kind of. I just...I guess I'm just missing him. Is this weird?"

"It's normal," she reassured me. "I would go insane if I couldn't see Ben for a whole year, too."

"It really sucks and you know Mike? He's relentless," I complained. "He was waiting outside for me all afternoon today and Charlie forced me to go see what he wanted. He _asked me out_! Can you believe that?"

Angela snorted. "Really? Well, did you tell him straight that you had a boyfriend?"

I laughed. "Problem is, I don't think Mike minds sharing, you know. He's an idiot."

"Just watch out okay?" she cautioned. "Just ignore him and that should be fine."

That was exactly what I did until a few months later, when the school term was just about to draw to a close. I arrived at school a little earlier than I should have. As I walked into the cafeteria, I saw Mike, Lauren and a few of his teammates smoking in the corner of the room.

"Hey, Bella!" he called out. "Wanna join us?"

Lauren had a blank look on her face and my gaze dropped to the bottle of whiskey she had in her hand. She was _drunk_ and school hadn't even started. What were they doing here so early in the morning? They were the kind of people you expected to turn up in the middle of the class.

"I-I need to go," I stuttered. I didn't want to get in trouble. The guys were laughing loudly and I was scared someone would come in and report us. If _Charlie _turned up...I shook my head. I didn't even want to think about it. He would surely kill me.

Mike stood up and swaggered towards me. "Hang on," he drawled with a stupid grin on his face. "Don't go. We would…really…enjoy… it very… much if you hung out with… us."

He grabbed my hand and yanked me forward. I gasped as I inhaled his breath. Lauren wasn't the only one drinking after all. Oh God...didn't they know what could happen to people when they were lit out of their minds? Suddenly, I felt a cold, prickling fear creeping up my spine and I realized with horror that I was cornered.

"So, Bella?" Mike said, his smile turning into a sneer. "You refused to go out with me, huh?"

"Get...get away from me!" I tried to sound menacing but it came out like a squeak. I was frightened, and it was obvious from their anticipating looks that they knew. _Crap, where the hell was my pepper spray when I really needed it?_ It was probably still under my pillow.

"Oh, I don't think so, Bella," he said. His teammates were laughing and Lauren was lying with her eyes closed on the floor, obviously too drunk to stand up.

Mike's face was so close to mine and before my brain could predict his motive, his mouth swooped down, capturing my lips in a kiss of brute force, all sloppy and wet. He thrust his tongue roughly into my mouth and his fingers reached behind me and twisted themselves into my hair, forcing my head back. I wanted to gag as his tongue dove forcefully into my mouth. I whimpered, scared, but Mike seemed to get the wrong idea and pressed his heated body into mine, my back meeting the wall with a _thud_.

Oh. No. This wasn't going to end well and I knew it. Didn't Mike know who my father was? What would happen if Charlie or one of the teachers walked in right now? We were all going to be so screwed.

"Mike," I tried to say. "Get off me! Charlie's my father, remember?"

Mike suddenly jumped back like I had electric-shocked him. "Fuck!" he said, hitting his head hard with the heel of his palm. "Shit, Bella. You better not say a word about this or I'll ruin your good girl reputation for _good_."

I stared at him in shock. What was he after? I didn't know Mike could be so… cruel, so vulgar to me. I had never done anything wrong and just a few months ago, I had thought of him as a happy jock that went after any girl he could get. He had been nice to me even when he, reluctantly, accepted that I wasn't interested in him.

I didn't bother answering him. He wasn't going to have the last word this time. I had tolerated him long enough and it was time Charlie knew what was happening. I fumbled with my phone and dialed his number.

"Dad?" I asked, trying to conceal the panic in my voice.

"Bella, honey?" he answered immediately. "What's wrong?"

"I…" I didn't know how to put this. Charlie was at work and I really couldn't deal with spending the day at school. It was the last day and half the students didn't come anyway. "I need to talk to you about something. Is it okay if I come see you now?"

"Sure," Charlie said, his voice concerned. "Are you okay? Are you hurt or anything?"

"No, not really," I admitted. _Not physically, at least_.

Charlie was a cop and the police station was located right in the city, just a few minutes from where we live. It was now I could fully appreciate the convenience even though I hated the loud honking noise cars made in the early mornings.

I knocked twice on his door which had 'Chief Charlie Swan' printed on the frosted glass.

"Come in." My father's alert tone came through the door.

I opened the door and shut it loudly behind me. "Dad," I said, biting my lip. "I-I don't know how to say this but…"

"Bella!" he said, getting out of his seat at once and pulling me into a tight hug. He peered at me closely, checking to see if there were any visible wounds. "Are you okay? What happened? I thought you were at school."

I nodded. "I was, but Mike and his friends were there already."

The color in Charlie's face drained and he gulped. "That Newton boy. He's been arrested twice since he started hanging out with that Lauren girl. Her record is horrible–drugs, drinking…" He shook his head and begged me with his eyes. "Please, Bella. Please tell me they didn't do anything to harm my baby girl."

I shook my head. "I was in the cafeteria and Mike started to act strangely. He was drunk and I was too _stupid _to call for someone. And…" I closed my eyes and remembered the feel of his chapped lips colliding roughly with mine, his tongue thrusting in my mouth, almost making me gag. "He kissed me, Dad. He grabbed me and it felt awful when he pressed his body into mine. I just…I just felt so _disgusted_."

I started to sob into my father's chest. Part of the pain in my chest was relieved as I let out what had happened just minutes ago. I knew I would never forget this, even though I wanted to so badly.

Charlie embraced me for a few minutes before speaking. "I'm going to go talk to the principal. It's time he should know what's going on among the student body, but I'll take you home first. Just relax and forget about everything."

I wiped my tears away and gulped. "I can't forget what just happened, Dad. I feel so revolted with myself and I–"

"Just think about the holidays in front of you, Bella," Charlie said softly. "You were right about that Newton kid and I'm not going to force you into anything anymore. You're a smart girl, Bells. You always know how to deal with things. Just think about going to Forks and seeing the friends you miss most again."

…

I opened the windshield and let the air whip gently across my face. There was a knot of excitement bubbling inside me – I was finally going _home_; the place where I really belong. The trees were so green from all the rain and, for once, I really didn't care if it did. I haven't seen the rain for a long time now.

Angela and Ben were sitting next to me. They were playing cards and I could see that Angela was winning by far.

"Cards aren't like chess, huh?" I nudged Ben in the ribs.

"Ow, Bells!" he said, making a face. "Yeah, chess is so much more exciting than this."

Angela rolled her eyes. "You only think so because you suck at cards."

"Are you three sharing a room?" Charlie asked from the front.

I blushed crimson and looked down. My heart skipped a beat as I thought about Edward. Would he still feel the same way? I haven't spoken to him in such a long time. He didn't call, nor write back [any of the letters I'd written him].

"Probably," Angela answered, saving me from lying. _Well said, Angela. Well said. _"But Alice might want some sleepovers so we'll be here and there, I guess."

"Are we still getting _our _beach house?" I asked Charlie. He would know which one I meant. There was a certain beach house in La Push I loved so much because of the beachfront French doors.

Charlie chuckled. "Yes, honey. I wouldn't dare break your heart by renting the exact same beach house a few doors down, would I?"

Ben snorted and I slapped him on his arm. "Shut up," I mumbled. "You don't understand."

"Okay, kids. We're here," my dad suddenly announced as the car came to a halt in front of the beach.

I bit my lip and realized as I stepped onto the wonderfully familiar soft sand that my legs were shaking–not from the chilly wind, but from the anticipation of meeting Edward again. _Would he still think the same of me since we last met? Was it possible that he was seeing someone else and didn't want to break it to me over the phone? _I wondered cynically.

"I know what you're thinking, Bella," Angela said, observing my tense face with a knowing look. "That boy can't get enough of you and I know it."

My whole body felt weak as Ben rang the doorbell of the Cullens' beach house. I let out several deep breaths and bounced slightly on the balls of my feet. _God, Bella. You're not about to face the firing squad, you know. You're just about to face a group of teenagers your age._

The door swung opened quickly and it was Emmett who answered. "Oh!" he guffawed as my eyes met his. "You're all finally here! Come on in."

Emmett pulled me into a bear hug, which almost crushed my lungs, and all the air going out of me with a _whoosh_. "Em, need I remind you? I. Need. Oxygen," I said as he dropped me unexpectedly onto the floor. "What was that for, anyway?"

"You look like someone who's about to die, Bella," he said bluntly and a cry of mirth erupted from my throat. The way he said it sounded like he was actually concerned about me, which I knew would probably never happen. All Emmett ever did was make fun of people anyway.

"Where are the others?" I said, looking around.

Emmett shifted uncomfortably. "Outside. I was just in here to get some food to share with the others."

I snorted. "Yeah, like you can ever live a second without your beloved donuts."

"Hey!" Em said indignantly. "Don't make fun of my donuts."

"Okay," I said exasperatedly. "So, can we go meet the others now?"

Em stood up and rolled his eyes. "You're just anxious to see Edward. And don't worry – he is too. He was about to shit his pants when Carlisle told him you were coming."

I think he actually wanted to cheer me up a little, but all he did manage to do was make me more nervous. _What was going on?_

"Man, we get it," Ben butted in. "Can we get going now or do you want to hold us prisoners here?"

Em grumbled and unlocked the front door, letting us out. The first thing I saw when I got out was a group of shirtless guys playing football on the sand. I could also see Alice and a group of her friends in the water splashing around. I walked faster towards the beach, my heart pumping hard and fast, like it was about to break out of my chest. I could now see Edward clearly. His chest was more toned than the last time I had seen him and he was obviously much taller now, maybe over six foot.

I was so close to him, and yet so far. I didn't know what to say and instead of doing anything to capture his attention, I settled for a nice spot a few meters from him, watching him in awe, taking him in.

"Eddie!" Emmett boomed, running towards him and catching the football with ease. "Look who's here!"

Edward stopped tackling Jasper and turned to look at him. "What? Who? I swear to God, if you're talking about _Tanya, _I'm going to shove a stick up your–"

"Man, lighten up," Emmett said, panting as he came to a stop in front of him. "It's Bella."

I watched as Edward stood up and turned towards me. I felt like it was happening in slow motion. My legs refused to move and I sat sitting on the sand like an idiot.

"Bella?" he said softly. "Is that really you?"

"Y-yes," I stuttered out like a fool. _Real smooth, Bells. Way to go_.

"Oh, Bella!" Edward cried as he rushed towards me, picking me up and hugging me tightly. "You have no idea how much I missed you when you were gone. I felt so empty and lonely, like I'd never feel happy again," he said breathlessly. "Are you okay?"

I nodded, looking at my bare feet. They weren't that interesting, but I guess I could trim a nail or two before Alice decides on a makeover party and turns them pink or something.

"We'll be back later, Em," Edward said, and I could feel his anxious gaze on my reddening face. "Tell the others for me, okay?"

Edward encased my hand in his gently and took me towards the woods.

"What's wrong, Bella?" Edward asked, tilting my head up to meet his with a finger. "Why aren't you talking to me?"

"Why haven't you answered my calls or my letters? I just thought…" I trailed off, at a loss of what to say. "I didn't know what happened to you. I thought you might've got a new girlfriend and didn't want to tell me over the phone or…"

"Bella," Edward said, gritting his teeth. "I love you. I always did and I always will. Did you remember what I said to you just before I left?"

"Always and forever," I spoke out faintly. "But I don't understand. Why didn't you talk to me? I was so lonely and – "

Edward met my eyes with a pained expression. "I felt so insecure," he admitted quietly. "You're such a smart, wonderful girl in a big city and there must be guys bowing down at your feet. I'm just this guy from a little town, after all. You'll never know if there are other choices."

Anger bubbled up inside me, replacing confusion. "So that's what had been bothering you, is it?" I asked tersely. "How could you think that? After all the times we were together, you'd think that I would go off with some random guy who doesn't even know the world I belong to?"

"I'm sorry, Bella," he said, looking down at our entwined fingers. "I'm sorry I let my imagination get the best of me."

"I'm sorry, too," I whispered. "I'm sorry I couldn't trust you even though my brain told me that you were the one."

Edward leaned down to kiss me, but just before his lips handed on mine, a horrible memory flashed through my mind, making me feel like someone had just tipped a bucket full of icy water on my head. I gasped and turned away, feeling weak in the stomach as my head swirled.

"Bella!" Edward gapped at me, his arms supporting my weak frame. "What's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

I shook my head and bit my lip. "Edward, there's something I need to tell you…"

"What is it?" he demanded. "Did someone hurt you? Who was it?"

I felt tears in my eyes as I recounted the events a few days ago. "There's this guy, Mike. He's in my class and he's been pestering me for a while now, asking me out and stuff. I was early for the last day of school and I found that he was there, drunk."

Edward's grip on me tightened, his eyes urging me to continue. "What happened?"

My body shook and I began to sob. "He kissed me, Edward. His hands were all over my body and he pressed himself against me and I felt so disgusted – I didn't sleep for a couple of nights because I could remember his touch and how his mouth covered mine."

Edward looked at me with regret and anger burning in his eyes. "That fucking bastard. I'm going to fucking _kill_him!" he said harshly. His hands let go on my body and they were clenched into fists at his side. "How did Charlie take this, Bella?"

I looked at the ground. "Charlie went to the school and Mike had to be taken into custody because he's been a nuisance in the city for quite some time now."

Edward laughed out loud. "Good. That's fucking great, because when I get there, I'm going to rip his miserable head off."

"No!" I almost yelled. "Don't think that. Mike's a weirdo and you'll get hurt."

He suppressed a growl as he pulled my hands back into his again. _Shit_, I thought. He had seen the purple and green bruises around my wrists and there was no way _Edward _was going to contain his anger this time.

However, his hard expression softened and he whispered, "Oh, sweetheart, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you when you needed me. "

"It's okay, Edward," I said earnestly. "You weren't there because you live so far away from me. And…"

I bit my lip as tears started to form in my eyes. "It…it just _sucks_ sometimes, you know?" I let out finally. "It really does. I hate that I'm there and you're here and we only get to see each other once a year. I mean, it really isn't fair, right?"

Edward placed a soft kiss along my wrist before saying, "I know, baby, but you have to know that even if you were halfway across the country, your heart is still connected to mine."

"Um, Bella?" Edward asked through gritted teeth. Damn, the dark mood was back. "Is he the reason why you avoided my touch? Because if my touch reminds you of his…I swear one of these days I'll –"

I stared at him in shock. What did I do to make Edward think like that? _Because your dumb mind decided to bring back a little memory when he was about to kiss you, smartass, _I reminded myself. "I'm so sorry," I said quickly, placing my hand on his face, guiding his eyes to meet mine. "I just…I just suddenly had a flash in my mind but it's okay. Really."

"So you're sure that me being close, me touching you, won't remind you of _him_?" he asked carefully.

I smiled softly at him. "Yes, I'm sure. He _pushed _me against a wall, Edward, and dug his hands into my scalp. I was so frightened, but I'm glad it's all over now. At least I wasn't physically hurt or anything. I would never ever mistake your touch for his."

"He bruised you, though," he said harshly.

I sighed and pulled him closer to me, feeling the way he relaxed at my touch. I stood of the tip of my toes and kissed him gently on the lips. "See?"

"God, Bella," Edward murmured roughly, against my lips. "I've missed you so, so much. You have no idea just how much."

"I've missed you, too," I said breathlessly. "Kiss me, Edward. Please…"

Edward wrapped his large hands into my hair softly and lifted me off my feet, crashing his mouth onto mine. Our tongues dancing together was nothing like the way Mike's did. This wasn't forced; it was gentle and sweet and it felt amazing.

…

I waded into the water for the first time in so many years. God, I've missed this place, this beach. Just everything. I dove into the sparkling water, letting myself soak in the seawater, which I hadn't touched in such a long time. It was tranquil and quiet here and I turned onto my back, my eyes squinting into the sun.

"Water bomb!" Emmett yelled, disrupting the peace.

"Em!" I complained. "What the hell was that?"

Alice laughed a tinkling laugh. "I think that was just Em being Em."

I glared at his goofy grin. "Well," I started. "I guess we could now have that water fight Edward promised me now."

Emmett looked at me in horror and I smiled at him. Water fighting was the sport I was best at and he knew it. I had managed to get him completely soaked last summer even though my foot was still in plaster.

Rose winked at me. "Sure, why not? That was fun last time we did it."

I laughed as I remembered what had happened last time. Even though I had to go back to the hospital to change my cast with a very annoyed father, it was completely worth it because I'd had the time of my life.

"Fine," Em grumbled, waddling towards the shore with Edward and putting on his dry shirt. "But Alice and Jazz, and Edward are on _my _team."

My excitement increased at his declaration. Sure, Emmett's team would have more people but Rose and I were pros at this. We could win this. All of us put on a dry t-shirt and carefully walked into the pool, carrying the water pistols I had hidden deep in my luggage.

"Ready?" Emmett shouted from the far end of the beach. "Go!"

I hitched my shirt up a little so that it wouldn't get wet and drag me down. Dodging the thin squirts of water was easy for me as I maneuvered quickly between them. Alice's shirt was already soaked which meant that she was out of the game. I turned around as I felt a small wet spot in the middle of my back and I realized it was Edward.

"You!" I gasped and he grinned at me crookedly. God, that smile was really not helping. Suddenly my hand felt weak and I felt my heart pump a little faster.

"Yeah, me," he said, looking like a cat who got the cream.

I couldn't wait to wipe that smile off his face and I suddenly found the chance as I saw Rose sneaking up behind him. "Look behind you," I said, poking my tongue out at him.

Edward turned around and Rose and I squirted water at him until he was completely soaked.

Only Em was still in the game now. Jazz had accidently slipped on the shifting sand below us and got a head full. I looked at Rose, whose shirt was as dry as mine, and I grinned. We were so going to _win_.

I held Rose's hand as we stumbled slowly towards him. The smile on Em's face was gone, and it was replaced with resignation.

"Okay, okay!" he called out, putting up his hands. "You guys win. Whatever."

I gave Rose a high five as we all swam towards the shore.

"Oh!" Emmett suddenly squealed like a little girl and ran towards the dry sand.

Edward raised an eyebrow. "What the fuck, Em?"

"Sand!" he called out excitedly. "We could build sandcastles."

Jazz laughed. "Are you kidding me? How old are we? Six?"

I stared at the sand and I could suddenly remember the summer that changed everything with crystal clear detail. Edward and I were five and we had been searching for the rock with the red and green polka dots. According to the book Edward had read, it apparently had some sort of magical powers. I wasn't in the mood for finding a stupid rock and I ended up discovering a sandcastle someone had constructed.

…

_"Did you find it?" he asked, his excited eyes staring into mine. "You found it, didn't you? The special rock I told you about? The purple one with the red and green polka dots?"_

_Not the stupid rock, again, I thought. "No! Not that. Look!" I shook my head furiously and pointing towards the castle that was about my height._

_Edward frowned as he stared at it. "It looks awesome, doesn't it?" I asked him eagerly. I had read in my fairytale books that these castles could have elves in them. Maybe Cinderella was inside, waiting for me to join her for afternoon tea. "Doesn't it, Edward? Doesn't it?"_

_Edward shrugged, clearly uninterested. "I bet I could've made a better one."_

_"No. No you couldn't have. You're just saying that, meanie. You could never make this in a million years," I argued, but I was too busy imaging things to be angry with him. "Do you think we can go inside? We can pretend to be the prince and princess of the castle and make everything ours! We can put our shell collection in there, Edward! The guards of the castle will keep it safe for us."_

_"Don't be stupid, Bella," Edward said, being mean to me again. "Sandcastles are made of sand. It's soft, dummy!"_

_My stomach dropped with sheer disappointment. I hated how he could never seem to share my love of fairytales. My favorite was _Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs_ but when I told Edward about it, he didn't seem to care at all. "Well…we could try, I suppose," he finally said, looking at the obvious sadness in my face._

…

"What are you thinking about?" Edward asked, pulling me close to his side, looking down at me with concerned eyes. "You seem a little quiet. Did you see me stuff Em's mouth with mud?"

I shook my head. "I was just thinking about our last summer together, when everything seemed perfect."

Edward sighed. "I know. I was thinking about that, too."

"I wanted you to be the Prince of that sandcastle I found." I giggled as I remembered. "And you told me it was stupid. You were so mean to me then, Edward."

Edward laughed and ruffled my hair gently. "Shut up. I was only five, then. How did I know anything? All my friends told me that girls were stupid and retarded and that they did nothing but stick their grimy fingers in – "

I covered my eyes and snorted. "Okay, I get it. You can stop now."

"Bella's the mannequin!" Jazz announced.

I looked at him like he was crazy. "W-what?"

Alice smiled apologetically. "They want to cover someone in sand from head to toe and you're the only one who didn't speak out."

I grumbled. "Fine, I'm the mannequin. Just don't cover my face or anything."

"You know," Rose said thoughtfully. "Sand can actually be a good thing for skin, so maybe a facial won't be too bad."

Rose and Alice burst into laughter together as they stared at my face. "Just kidding, Bella!"

I looked down at my body and could see Jazz covering my legs with a load of sand. Edward and Emmett were doing my body and arms. Alice and Rose were just sitting there giggling at the expression on my face. I had never wanted to move my legs so bad until now.

By the time the guys were done, the sun was already setting.

"O-kay!" Emmett said, wiping the sand off his hands onto his shirt. "We're done here, boys."

They all stood up and looked at me.

Jazz cleared his throat. "Well, um, dinner?"

I watched as they all got their belongings and scrambled towards Edward's beach house.

"Hey!" I called out. "What about me?"

They didn't look back and I realized this was all a joke to them. I wished Ang and Ben were here now but they wanted to go to Port Angeles and look at the shops. They would probably be back soon and I couldn't wait.

As I dusted myself clean, I knocked on the Cullens' door and Carlisle answered, smiling at me. "Hello Bella! It's nice to see you again."

"Oh, Bella!" Esme said as I stepped into the dinning room, embracing me with a warm hug. "I've missed you so much. It's so good to see you here again!"

I could see Edward standing behind her, smiling at me gently with his green eyes sparkling. "Welcome home, Bella," he said.

_I was home_.

* * *

Thanks to all the readers and reviewers and the guys over at PTB, especially **onlybythenight1** and **owlsarebirdstoo** for beta'ing this :D

I also want to personally thank all those who have expressed their concerns for the Queensland flooding. Everything's back to normal now...just some more cleaning up to do!

See you in two weeks (or maybe less)

xx Rachel

Please review!


	12. Age 17: Treading on Thin Ice

**Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.**

**VERY IMPORTANT A/N BELOW. PLEASE READ!  
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**Age 17**

**Bella**

I leaned my head on Edward's shoulder and held onto his hand tightly. The town flew by quickly and a violet glow appeared in the afternoon sky. There had never been such a beautiful twilight. I would have been able to appreciate it if I could have calmed down, but my hands were sweating and my heart was beating fast.

"What's wrong?" Edward asked, looking down at me.

I tried to smile back. "Nothing," I replied softly. "Just a lot of things on my mind right now."

"Don't stress about anything," he urged, squeezing my hand. "Promise me you'll tell me if anything's wrong."

I rolled my eyes, trying to play it off, but my stomach was churning. "Okay," I said back. _He'll know soon enough anyway_.

The car suddenly came to a sharp stop, and Edward's body collided with mine.

"What the hell, Emmett?" Jasper groaned. "I thought you passed the driving test."

"Yeah, but it's these red lights, okay? They change color whenever they want–there's no warning or anything," Em said. "Shitty electrical devices. Why can't they have policemen come and direct us?"

I tried to join in the laughter, but my mind kept reminding me of what I had to tell Edward in less than an hour's time.

Two days before I had graduated, Mr Banner had called me into his office and offered me an opportunity to participate in a science that had already accepted me. He had, without my knowledge, sent in applications for some of his students but I was the only one who had been chosen.

"_This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Miss Swan," Mr Banner said, peering at me sternly through his glasses. "Not many students get a chance like this one."_

_I took the thick envelope with shaky hands. They wanted _me. _Not Eric, not Tyler, but _me_. _

"_The program will take place during the summer in Newcastle, so you will be able to go to college as planned," he continued. _

_There was a short silence, and then Mr Banner spoke again. "Please tell me you will consider the offer. If you have any financial problems, just contact me, and the school has scholarships available. I would hate for you to miss out because of that."_

_I nodded, excited. "Thanks, sir. I'm astounded that you did this for me, and I'll consider it."_

"_You're a smart girl, Bella," he said, and he gave me a rare smile._

Emmett suddenly took a left turn and parked near the docks. It was then I realized where we were.

"Wow, Edmonds already?" I asked Edward, surprised. "That was quick."

Edward chuckled. "Baby, you slept half the trip. We played cards and everything and you missed out on it all. Em started singing stupid songs loudly, and you didn't move an inch," he said in wonder. "You look kind of … keyed up. Are you sure you're okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I am."

"Okay. That's good," he murmured, kissing me softly on the lips.

"You haven't told him, yet?" Alice asked me urgently as the boys unpacked our bags, ready to take them onto the ferry.

"No, I haven't," I started. "I'm scared, Alice. Will he wait for me? Or will I come back and realize that he has this amazingly cool–"

"Isabella. Swan. Don't. You. Ever. Say. That. Again," she said, through gritted teeth. "Edward loves you. The way he looks at you … I can't describe it. It's like he's looking at his firstborn son or something."

I snorted. "Nice description, Alice."

"You'll see," she defended. "He's going to wait for you, no matter what. You'll see."

"I hope so," I muttered under my breath.

For the past few days, Edward had been talking non-stop about the trip to Seattle, where all of us would be able to properly celebrate graduation together. I didn't make any comment, nor did I object to his plan when he asked me if I agreed. The exchange was going to be amazing, and would be a huge benefit for me when I go to college, and hopefully, medical school after that. It would mean that our summer together, which had just started, would end in a few days.

"We're on a _boat_!" Emmett exclaimed loudly as we boarded the ferry. "We're on a fucking _boat _without our parents. This fucking _rocks_."

"Em!" Rose said sharply, nudging him gently in the ribs. "People are staring. You don't say those things in public for crying out loud."

Edward laughed and nudged his head towards two elderly people, who were hurrying away from us.

I stared at Edward while he chatted with Ben, Em, and Jazz. I wanted to memorize every line of his face and every single mannerism before I left. It was what made him so perfect. He was an amazing boyfriend and an amazing friend. The way he interacted with people, the way he _charmed _everyone he met–it was all so incredible.

"Bella!" Rose called out to me, bringing me back to Earth. "We're here now."

"Where?" I asked absentmindedly.

"Seattle," she said, and grabbed my hand firmly, dragging me towards the dock. "What has gotten into you?"

"She hasn't told him yet," Alice interjected.

"Bella," Rose said slowly. "Are you fucking with me?"

I looked at my feet, refusing to make any eye contact with Rose. I was sure she was about to kill me. "No. I didn't have time, okay? All Edward did these past days was plan what we were going to do this summer, and it would just ruin everything, you know?"

Rose sighed. "He's going to be upset and angry no matter what."

"Shut up," I said, closing my eyes and trying not to think about it. I didn't want to think about it, but I didn't have much time now. Rose was right–I should've told him when I first got to Forks. It would've saved a lot of trouble.

I fiddled with the hem of the dress Alice made me wear as Edward dumped our bags onto our bed. I was glad I hadn't told Charlie that Edward and I were sharing a room and a bed, or that the others planned to do the same thing–he would've come along, too.

"Bella," Edward said, suddenly in front of me, his hands caressing my face softly. "I'm not stupid; I know something about you is off."

"Edward," I muttered, my eyes refusing to meet his. "I'm … I'm just scared."

"About what?" he asked immediately. "I'm here, and I'll help you. All you have to do is tell me. I'll take care of you."

The way he said it sounded so caring and sincere that, it made my eyes begin to water.

"Bella?" he asked anxiously. "What's wrong, baby? Are you sick? Do you need me to get help or something?"

I shook my head. This wasn't going as planned. The more Edward was concerned about me, the angrier he was going to get for starting all this worrying. And suddenly, I didn't know how to tell him. We were all alone in the room, and the rest of our friends were probably downstairs swimming in the pool or something.

"I've been accepted into a science exchange program," I said quietly, closing my eyes, waiting for Edward's reaction, which was probably not going to be good, but all I heard was him breathing–breathing hard.

"When do you leave?" he asked. His voice was painful to hear, and I felt a truckload of guilt wash through me. He was in pain because of me. He was worrying because of me. It seemed that I couldn't do anything right by him.

"I … I haven't decided if I'm going to go because–" I stuttered before Edward cut harshly across me.

"Bullshit. You _want_ to go. Why the hell would you want to stay in _Forks _if you had a chance to get the fuck out of here?" he said, his words cut into me deeply. "Why the _fuck _would you want to stay with me when you could have all the guys in the whole world bowing at your feet?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shot back; surprised that he could make such a statement. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Edward laughed coldly and backed away from me. "I'm just a fucking guy from Forks – a guy you've known since forever. You could already be sick of me for all I know."

"Edward," I said weakly, reaching out towards him. "Don't do this. I love you, and there's nothing you can do about it! You may be sick of me already, but I can't change how I feel for you. You're it for me, and that's all you need to know."

His eyes softened a little at my statement but hardened immediately after. "Then why have you been ignoring me since you've gotten here? Just tell the truth, Bella. I don't want you to say it nicely. Just tell me right away so I know."

Tears were starting to fall onto the floor now. My face was streaked with them, and I didn't know what to say. What Edward had said was so _harsh_, so _wrong,_ but I didn't know how to fix my mistake.

"It's my fault," I said. "It's entirely my fault. I should've told you about the letter before but I didn't. I didn't because I was scared of your reaction. You have no idea how much you mean to me. Did I ever … did I ever give you the impression that I didn't want you?"

My eyes were pleading with him to understand; that I wasn't going away because I wanted to just get out of here. I wanted to go because I knew I may never have an experience or an opportunity like this again. I wanted to go because I _thought _I knew Edward–the real him–that he would understand me and wait for me so that we could go to college as planned.

I didn't know he could be so _cruel_. I thought he trusted me, but I must've thought wrong.

Without another word, I grabbed my bag and headed towards the door. _There's no returning if you do this, Bella. You walk out and everything will be gone._

"You know what?" I spat out. "It doesn't matter if you don't have an answer to that. You obviously don't trust me, so I don't know why I'm here."

Before Edward could react, I opened the door and slammed it loudly behind me. A sob escaped me and a pair of arms embraced my weakened frame.

"It's okay, Bella," Rose said, trying to calm me. "Everything's going to be fine. We're all here for you."

"I just want to get out of here, Rose," I said, trying to control my tears. "It's all too much for my heart to take. I _thought _we could be able to work through this, but obviously – "

"Edward's always an asshole," Em grumbled. "Wish he knew what the fuck he did. But don't worry, Bells. He always comes 'round, even when it might be too late."

"Are you going back to Charlie's?" Alice asked me anxiously.

I shook my head furiously, my tears still blinding me. "Get me out of Washington. I need some time away from everything, Al."

"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" Rose asked, sounding a little frightened.

"Yeah," I said.

"But where will you go, Bells?" Emmett asked. "North or South Pole?"

I let out a short laugh of hysteria. Em could be in such a light-hearted mood even when the atmosphere wasn't. "I'll take the South Pole and swim with the dolphins," I tried to say jokingly, but it sounded rather sinister.

"Bella?" Alice asked me. "Seriously?"

I squinted at the midday sun's glare. "I think I want to go to Newcastle earlier, so I can settle in and get ready, you know? Like a new start – to get away with all this heavy stuff."

"What about Edward?"

My heart constricted at the sound of his name, and I let a few more tears escape. "I'm going to miss him so much," I finally said. "I can't believe I feel this way after what he said, but I love him and nothing can change that."

…

Leaving Edward was the hardest thing I had ever done, even though he probably didn't care. I wished that Alice or Rose would tell me what he had been doing the past week, but all they did was send me emails with vague answers. Were they keeping something from me? Was Edward already moving on?

As I headed towards the science building, my phone buzzed and the name which appeared on my screen almost made me drop it.

It was Edward.

I opened the message, hoping that it was something my heart could take.

_I'm sorry-Edward_

I clasped my phone shut. A wave of anger rolled through me. Did he really think that I could forgive him with a simple apology after almost two weeks of been ignored? He didn't even ask if I was okay, which made me feel like an enemy of his that he had just bullied.

"Is everything all right?" a voice near me asked.

I turned around and smiled softly, realizing that it was my lab partner, Riley. He had just graduated from school himself in Chicago and had come to Newcastle for the program so that he could also tour the country a little.

"Sure," I said.

Riley winked at me and nodded with acknowledgement. "Are you? No boyfriend problems?"

"How did you know?" I asked him, amazed.

He grinned at me and shrugged. "Just wondering. You looked kind of upset by the text."

I didn't know what made me do it, but I was suddenly spilling out my personal life to a man I'd met only a few days ago. I told him how I was surprised to be accepted into this program and how I thought everything would work out. I told him how Edward and I lived far away from each other and only got to see each other once a year, just for the summer, but we had still made it until now. I told him about how Edward reacted to my news and how upset I had been.

"But you're here now," he mused after I finished.

"Yeah," I laughed. "I guess I am. I just needed a break from everything."

Riley nodded. "Which college are you planning to attend?"

"I got accepted into Vassar and Dartmouth, but I chose Dartmouth because of the medical program they have there," I explained. _And because Edward got in as well_.

"Oh," he replied, somewhat disappointed. "I'm going to Stanford. My dad was a professor there, but he retired early."

I'd never realized how excited I was to learn biochemistry until now. Mr. Banner had been right. This experience was one I would not regret, even though I'd made a lot of sacrifices. I thought about what Edward and I could be doing right now if I had decided not to go. We'd probably be having icecream at the docks, or watching the sunset on the beach, or even maybe…

"Hey, you here?" Riley asked, cutting through my reverie. "It's your turn."

He handed me the slide and I slid it under the microscope. We were looking at lipids today. It wasn't very interesting or difficult, so I wasn't really paying a lot of attention.

I sighed. _Just six more weeks to go, Bella. Six more weeks. _

"A bit gross, huh?" Riley asked me.

I smiled at him. "Yeah. My dad wasn't really a health freak, and if only he knew what he was consuming each day..."

Riley laughed. "Yeah. Mine aren't that serious about this, either. Do you want to be a doctor when you're older?"

I was surprised by the turn of his question but answered anyway. "Yeah. I want to go to medical school, but my parents don't really encourage me because, I mean, it's _hard_ to even get accepted into med school. But med school is awesome. If I had the chance, I'd definitely go."

The days passed quickly when Riley was around. He was nice and easy-going. There were only a couple of days left, and I was glad to have the rest of the time off so that I could go visit the Gateshead Millennium Bridge and the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas with Riley.

"Bet your friends miss you heaps," he said as we ate lunch together, sitting by the pond in the shade.

"Yeah, I hope." I smiled as I thought of Rose and Alice, who had continued to email me about stuff that was going on. Rose's parents had rented a little apartment for her and Em to stay in while studying at Dartmouth. I sighed as I thought about where I was going to go. Edward and I had planned to stay together in the apartment Carlisle invested in but after what had happened, I wasn't sure. Maybe I would end up living on campus. I really wasn't sure.

Riley seemed to have noticed me tensing, and he frowned. "Worried about getting home?"

"Worried about _arriving_," I corrected him.

'You'll be fine. You've only been gone for two months, not two years."

I giggled at his logic. "Yeah."

"We have to keep in contact, Bella," he said, smiling at me. "You've been a great friend to me, and I hope we can continue to be close."

"Of course," I said, grinning at him. "You've given me so much support – much more than I deserved, and I really have to thank you for that."

He shrugged. "No problem."

The sky was darkening, and Riley sighed. "Time to go."

I stood up and hugged him. "I'll miss you heaps."

"Me too," he said as he hugged me back.

I watched him walk away, but he stopped suddenly and turned around. "Good luck with that boyfriend of yours." He winked and waved.

…

I looked at my phone nervously. Alice was supposed to be here ten minutes ago. She was never late to anything, so I started to walk towards the exit. Checking out took no time because there weren't many people on my flight so I watched awkwardly at the many couples who reunited, all smiling and happy.

I gritted my teeth and tears threatened to fall. _Whatever happened to us?_ I still hadn't thought of what to say to _him _yet, and the thought was making me tense and uneasy. Rose was throwing a big party tonight at the Cullens' house and if Edward attended…

I shook my head and stared at my phone again. _Fifteen minutes late. _I had half a mind to jump into a taxi now.

"Bella?" a voice suddenly called behind me.

I turned around and there stood Edward. My mouth dropped as I realized that he had become more beautiful than the last time I had seen him. The pain in my chest seemed to have lessened, and my eyes were now drinking him in greedily.

"E-edward?" I gasped as my head began to whirl.

_He is here. Edward is here. Come on, Bella! Just ask him to leave you alone before you get hurt again._

I shook my head, trying to clear out the muddled thoughts.

"It's me, Bella," he said softly before biting gently on his bottom lip. _God, I missed doing that so much…_

"I…I don't – "

"Alice had to go somewhere," he said quickly, running his fingers through his hair. He was actually _nervous _and I marvelled at that fact. I really still had that effect on him. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come, but I did just in case you didn't have enough money left to catch a cab."

His eyes were looking at me, and the tears in my eyes began to fall in earnest.

"Bella?" he said in alarm as he wrapped his arms around me. "What's wrong, baby?

I wanted to answer him as I sobbed onto his chest, my head resting against his heart, but I couldn't. The last time he'd asked this question, I'd ended up heartbroken. The last time he'd asked this, _I _was the one who had left.

"I missed you so much, you know," Edward began as he brushed my hair back. "Every day, all I thought about was you. You were in my mind, consuming all my thoughts. I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I wondered what you were doing every second you were away."

"Why didn't you trust me enough?" I asked after I calmed down and was thinking rationally. "Why didn't you call me, or contact me in any form? I had to _ask _about you through Rose and Alice. Do you have any idea how upset I was? You weren't talking to me, and you didn't support my decision. I had no idea what you were doing, or if you had moved on. If you have, just tell me now."

"Bella," Edward began in a pained voice, his hand encasing mine tightly. "I'm with you for life. I'm yours, and will be yours forever. You're my everything, Bella."

"I need time," I whispered. "I need time to decide what I'm going to do."

Edward nodded. "Let's get out of here first, okay? The airport isn't exactly the right place to discuss this."

We remained silent as Edward drove us to his house. He helped me carry my luggage, and I muttered a small "thanks" which made my favorite crooked smile appear on his face.

"It's been ages, Bella!" Esme said as she greeted me in the hallway. "How have you been?"

I smiled at her. "I'm great. I've missed all of this."

"College in a week, huh?" Carlisle said as he hugged me tightly. "Charlie doesn't look like he's ready to give up his baby girl yet."

I blushed furiously as Esme led me to the living room.

"SURPRISE!" Emmett boomed as he embraced me tightly. It was always Em's hugs that I had always dreaded. I felt sorry for my ribs.

"Hey, Bells," Charlie grinned at me, as I plopped onto the seat next to him. "How was it?"

I rolled my eyes. Charlie had never been interested in science, but I guess he was excited about me being home. "It was great. My lab partner was a guy named Riley from Chicago, and he was friendly."

"Are you going to go to New Hampshire early to get everything set up?" he asked.

I sighed, and my wandering eyes landed on Edward, who was staring at me like he had never seen me before. "I…I don't know where I'm going to be staying, but I'll probably be bunking with Alice until I sort things out."

I didn't want to mention that the problems were all Edward-related. Charlie didn't need to know what happened during the summer. He was happy now and that was all that mattered to me.

"Bella?" Edward asked. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

My heart faltered as I stood up. Esme smiled at me encouragingly as Edward led me up to his room. The moment he closed the door, his hands were holding my trembling ones tightly.

"What did you mean back there when you said you were bunking with Alice?" he asked urgently, looking at me with pain evident in his eyes.

"I–I ... I'm not – I don't expect anything from you," I stuttered out. "I don't know what we are now, and it seemed a little foolish to assume that – "

"I want you there with me, Bella," Edward said, squeezing my hands firmly. "I want to make what we had planned come true. It may be selfish to ask, but I want you to move in with me. Don't worry about sorting out anything. If you need anything, just ask me."

"I love you," I blurted out without thinking, but it was the truth.

"I love you, too, and I'm so sorry I acted like such a fucked-up asshole, who seemed to have a stick up his ass. You don't deserve my temper, and I promise you that you'll never see that side of me again," he vowed sincerely. "You're my girl, and if you give me the chance, I'll treat you right, and I swear we'll be happier than we have ever been together."

"I need time to sort out some things," I admitted.

"Okay," Edward replied, kissing my forehead gently. "But I'm not stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. I'll do anything I can to earn your trust back."

"I'll hold you to that." I smiled at him and caressed his cheek gently.

"Bella," he whispered, his face inching closer to mine. "Can I kiss you?"

"Yes." I breathed and felt his lips capture mine. The moment his lips touched mine, I felt like my body was on fire. I felt _alive_, something I hadn't felt in a long time. The kiss was slow and tender; it made me tremble slightly in his arms. I whimpered against his mouth and my lips parted in offering, his tongue sliding against mine. When we broke for air, he held his forehead against mine.

"I love you," I said, hugging him tightly and ridiculously, as more tears came. "I love you so much."

"I love you more," he replied and I felt a tear that wasn't mine fall onto my cheek.

* * *

**Thanks so much to all the readers, reviewers and betas who have taken their time to read and discuss this. **

**I'm really busy now with the IB Diploma so I'm offering someone to adopt this story. Just send in a review or PM me and I'll decide. **

**Just note that the author who adopts this stoy will have to have the following requirement:**

**- At least one story (one-shots DON'T count)**

**THANK YOU ALL. I CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH FOR THIS JOURNEY YOU HAVE TAKEN WITH ME.**

**FAQ**

**- Am I leaving the fandom? No**

**- Am I going to come back? Maybe **

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**IF YOU WANT TO ADOPT MY TWITTER, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I DON'T WANT TO GIVE EVERYTHING UP BUT SCHOOL COMES FIRST.**

**Hope we meet again soon :D  
**

**Rachel/Freezegirl8000 xx**

**PS. Flame me all you want  
**


	13. Epilogue

**Yes, I'm finally back! What a year it's been. IMPORTANT A/N at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

* * *

**Epilogue: Seven years later**

**BPOV**

I was going to feel sick.

Fuck.

This isn't going to be good.

My legs trembled as I got closer and closer to the stage. Sometimes I just wished my last name was something like…something like aardvark. Ha. _Don't snort, Bella, your parents are watching you, possibly filming this right now for their non-existent grand-children. _

"Swan, Isabella!"

Thank fuck.

I made my way to the stage and tried not to think about the audience. I needed to concentrate on walking. Yes, this was something I had battled for my entire life, this gift of clumsiness. Edward always said that – oh, wait – I needed to concentrate on not falling flat on my face before shaking the dean's hand. That's right, in about two seconds, I am about to receive my certificate of MBA.

"Congratulations, Isabella," Dr Molina murmured, surely tired of the seemingly everlasting roll of students' names that he had to repeat after.

"Thank you," I managed to stutter. _Way to go, Bella! Speaking, shaking hands and walking all at the same time! _

I heard someone whistle as my made my way down the stage. I flushed as I caught Edward flash me a dazzling grin from the corner of my eye.

I would be lying if I said that it had been a blissfully easy seven years. Edward and I had gone through ups and downs in our relationship. Just before graduating from high school, I was all set to go to UDub and we were all waiting for Edward's acceptance to come. I knew that he had applied to the Ivies, but Charlie could never afford something like that, even if it was for education. Money was tight in the Swans' house. Not the Cullens', and I knew that. So Edward ended up having to choose between Dartmouth, UCLA, Stanford and UDub. I remembered him telling me one night that he ridiculously decided that UDub had the best pre-med program but I called him out. I knew that when he was doing all those extra hours of studying in order to get the maximum amount of college credit, UDub was definitely not on his mind. I knew that the most worn pages in the college guide were the one regarding Stanford.

So I told him to go and follow his dream. Stupid boy, he told me he wanted to follow his heart. The fight we had was the biggest ever in all five years. Yeah, five years. Because we broke up that night.

One day, when I was working at the coffee shop near my dorm with my friend Angela, I caught a flash of bronze hair and dazzling white teeth and when I looked up, I could feel my heart start to beat again. It was Edward. And Alice, Rose, Em, and Jazz all didn't bother mentioning this to me. Edward didn't just magically turn up at the most random coffee shop _in a college_. No one does that.

Anyway, he smiled and I was just fucking gone. I couldn't keep my eye off him when I was making his coffee and I ended up spilling it all over me. It hurt badly and I hastily threw a helpless look at Angela, who laughed and took the counter. As I was cleaning myself up with a napkin, I felt someone close behind me. Edward.

"Are you hurting, Bella?" His concerned gaze washed over my face and I couldn't help but flush deeply again.

I nodded.

He handed me a damp, cold napkin. "Here, this might help."

And that was all the talking that was needed. We were always two peas in a pod and getting back together didn't require much encouragement from Alice.

And now here we were. Or I am at least, as I looked around the crowded area outside the building.

"Congrats, Bells," Ben grinned at me, his arm around Angela.

"Thanks," I said, but my eyes were busy scanning for any sign of bronze.

"Looking for Edward?" Angela teased.

I scowled. Was it that obvious? "Shut up," I growled at her.

I suddenly sensed someone standing behind me and I spun around, almost taking a face plant on the ground.

"Whoa there!"

"Edward!" I gasped as I looked into his mesmerizing green eyes.

He let out a chuckle and leaned his face down, capturing my lips with his. I leaned into him, loving the warmth of his embrace, snaking my arms around him and letting my fingers twist in his hair. Like a thousand times before, the crowd around us disappeared.

"Aw, aren't they cute?" I heard Angela squeal, breaking my bubble. Ugh, seriously, Ang? Not right now. Please.

I groaned into Edward's mouth as he loosened his tight hold on me.

"Later, baby," he breathed into my neck before pressing a kiss to my forehead. "I promise."

My insides turned to jelly whenever he pulled that trick out of the bag. Edward and his promises. I loved them, it made me weak, and the smug bastard knew it.

"I'm glad you made it," I stuttered, squeezing his hand tightly in mine. "It means a lot."

He smiled at me. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world, baby. I'm so proud of you, my beautiful girl."

My insides were turning to mush again. God, he was so perfect. Why couldn't think of something like that to say? And I was the one with an M.A. in Literature. _Right_. I stood on my toes and reached up to press my lips against his again.

I heard Ben give an annoying cough and I sighed. I couldn't _wait_ to get home, then I could have my way with Edward. Against the wall. On the couch. On the floor. _Geez, Bella. Get a grip on yourself!_

"Let's go," Edward murmured into the crook of my neck, his fingers intertwining with mine.

"Okay," I replied immediately and Edward cocked an eyebrow in question which made me blush furiously. God, I was being so obvious tonight. Ugh.

As we walked towards the gate, I suddenly realized that there were no footsteps following behind us. I tugged on Edward's hand, forcing him to stop.

"Wait, where's the rest of them? Charlie, Ang and Ben said that they were going to celebrate with us, remember?" I reminded him.

"Um," Edward stuttered out, fidgeting nervously, raking his hair with his fingers. "Well, we're going somewhere else first. Then we'll meet them at the restaurant if um, well…" he trailed off, staring at the ground like there was a code on the ground for his to decipher.

I touched his cheek and his eyes met mine. What I wasn't expecting was that there was some kind of _fire _there.

"Bella, please," Edward said, eying me anxiously.

"Okay," I said, still baffled, but I trusted him. Edward tightened his hand over mine and led us to his Volvo. As he closed the door on me, he dialled a number and began muttering quickly into his phone. What the fuck was going on? I couldn't hear anything he was saying clearly because the door was closed. I breathed in deeply and tried to ignore the tingling sensation I had whenever I was getting annoyed. I figured that wherever we were going, it wasn't going to require a graduation gown so I shrugged out of the black cloak and waited.

Eventually, he finished his conversation and put his phone back in his pocket in his pants. Edward slipped into the seat next to me and ignored my questioning stare, and instead, distracted me by placing a chaste kiss on my lips before starting the engine.

It was dark but I could see the outline of the buildings that were quickly disappearing. Where the hell were we going? I couldn't help but eye Edward's leg, which was bouncing up and down nervously. He was one who rarely fidgeted. He _never_ did, in fact. What the fuck is he planning to do?

"What the fuck is up with you?" I finally asked, as warmly as I could.

"Nothing, Bella," he answered quickly. Too quickly.

I raised my eyebrows. He couldn't look at me while driving but I was sure he could feel my silent question.

Edward sighed heavily and let out a deep breath. "It's a _surprise_."

My stomach unclenched and I let out a relieved sigh. Thank God. At least he wasn't sick with some terminating illness or something.

"Okay," I smiled at him encouragingly. "A surprise. I'll shut up now."

Edward sneaked a glance in my direction and gave me a small smile.

"Will you close your eyes, Bella?" he asked me tentatively. "Please?"

I nodded reluctantly. Damn him and his irresistible soft voice. He knew I was putty in his hands whenever he pulled out that weapon. "Okay, my eyes are closed."

After a few minutes he finally stopped the car. I heard Edward get out of the car, but then I felt him slip one of his arms under my knees and another arm around my back. I wanted to protest as he started to lift me out of the car but I decided that this was part of the surprise.

It was a warm night in Washington. Kind of surprising for this time of the year. I could hear the sound of water crashing and I wondered if Edward took me to the beach.

"Edward, what the – ," I began to ask.

"Bella, you said you would trust me on this," he reminded me softly, "It's hard to walk around here, especially at night so I'm just helping you."

He carried me in silence for a few more minutes, until I decided that, by the sound of the waves clashing, we were at a beach.

"You can open your eyes again, Bella," Edward murmured, placing me on my feet in the soft sand.

I opened my eyes and looked at Edward questioningly. "Edward, what…"

He let out a nervous laugh and raked his hair with his fingers again. "Um, surprise," he said, looking at me anxiously.

I stayed silent. Was I supposed to say something? "I am…surprised," I said slowly.

Edward finally let out a deep breath and said shakily, "I love you, Bella. You know that, right?"

I smiled and assured him, "I love you, too, Edward. Forever."

He smiled at me nervously and held my hand in his, leading me towards the water. I didn't notice anything until I saw a big…no, _huge_ sandcastle just meters before the ocean met the sand. Edward and I walked in silence until we reached it. I looked at it curiously. Wow, whoever built this must've spent a lot of time here, making sure the walls of the large extravagant-looking tower was smooth. There was also a lot of fancy detail, like little columns and…wait. I thought hard for a few seconds. I have seen something like this before. Wait – this was just like...but it was impossible, right?

"Edward?" I turned around to ask and gasped as I saw Edward kneeling in front of me, holding a box cushioning a beautiful ring, shining under the moonlight.

"Nineteen years ago, we were playing here on the beach and you were so excited when you found a sandcastle on the beach. You wanted to be the princess of the castle and wished for me to be the prince," he swallowed and continued with a deep breath. "I took your friendship for granted then and I wish I would've said yes. But I'm ready now."

Tears were forming in my eyes and quickly brushed them away, not wanting to ruin this moment.

"I love you," he said gruffly. "I will love you forever, and I want you to be mine in every way that matters because I've been yours since the day on the cruise, when you said yes to me when I asked you to be my girlfriend."

He took another deep breath and looked up at me, love and adoration shining in his eyes. His chin lowered and he asked, "Bella, will you marry me?"

"Oh, God…" I gasped. This amazing, sweet beautiful man just asked me to marry him. I pressed my hand to my chest, trying to slow my heart down.

"Bella?" he asked, concerned.

"Edward…oh God, yes, Edward! Yes."

Edward's eyebrows shot up. "Yes?"

Oh, you silly man, like you actually doubted I would answer otherwise.

"Yes!" I launched myself at him, closing the distance separating us and threw my arms around his neck. Edward laughed out loud, lighter than I have ever heard. His arms wrapped around me protectively and pulled us to our feet.

"I love you so much, Edward Cullen. I always have and always will. You never have to doubt me. I'll say yes every time. I can't imagine living a second of my life without you," I said through my tears, which was creating a lump in my throat.

"You've just made me the happiest man in the world, Bella. All I want to do is to try making you happy for the rest of my life."

My heart melted. "You have already made me so happy, Edward."

Edward loosened his hold on me and pulled a ring out of the box. It was beautiful, a filigree in the pattern of ivy, which held a modest diamond in the centre. I already adored it.

"It was Grandma Cullen's. My dad gave it to me a few years ago and I knew it was the perfect ring. It reminded me so much of you. His voice grew uncertain, "If you prefer another…" he trailed off.

"I want it." I told him. "It's so beautiful, Edward."

I tried to stop crying as he slid the ring onto my finger.

"My wife," he said softly, looking at me with awe.

I leaned up on my toes and kissed him, his lips soft against mine. When I pulled back, his face was full of emotion.

In spite of the perfect moment, I couldn't help but feel the spark of heat between us. I suddenly couldn't wait to get home to celebrate. _Really_ celebrate. I leaned up again and whispered in his ear, "Maybe you should take me home and celebrate, husband."

Edward groaned and closed his eyes. When he opened them, they were dark, filled with lust and such a fire that I felt my face heat up and my heart start beating faster again.

He smirked at my reaction and leaned down, his lips near mine, making me whimper. "Let's get the hell out of here, Mrs Cullen. And when we get home, I'm going to make you scream out 'yes' more times than we both can count."

"Edward," I moaned. The tingling sensation between my thighs was starting to get intense. I needed him and I needed him _now_.

We ran up towards the car in record time and for the first time, I didn't complain how fast Edward drove.

We sped towards home, our plans with our family quickly forgotten.

There was only one thing in my mind now.

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**So there you have it! Does the title make sense now? Not too cheesy? Hope so :) There will be an outtake coming soon. I know I haven't updated in like, forever, but hopefully I'll get some reviews.**

**And yes, the outtake will be straight up following the epilogue. Oh, imagine the possibilities *evil smile***


	14. Outtake 1

**Disclaimer: Not mine. Stephenie Meyer owns the plot. I just play with the characters with my dirty mind.**

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Outtake 1

Edward squeezed my thigh teasingly as he sped, driving one-handed, towards our apartment. Usually I hated him for driving so fast, but today, _right now_, all I wanted for him to do was to drive _faster_. _God, Swan, with sex-drive like this all the time, you're going to turn into a raging adrenaline junkie in no time._

Edward peeked a look at me with a smirk on his face. "Eager, aren't you? Not gonna start shouting at me to slow down?"

I blushed furiously and smiled as innocently as I could at him. "No way. Maybe all I'm thinking about right now is to get my damn sexy fiancé back home where I can finally have my way with him. You know, as much as I hate shopping, I actually did go shopping with Alice yesterday," I cocked an eyebrow at him and tapped my finger on my chin. "And hmmm, what did we buy again? Oh, I definitely remember something thin, something red, and oh! There were _definitely _some little scraps of lace in there. Lacy little things with sexy little bowt –"

Edward cut me off with a growl. "If you don't want me to turn this car into a pretzel around a traffic light, you better stop teasing me, Swan."

He was driving faster now, but only _just_. Why the hell did we choose a place so far away again? I mean, it wasn't exactly far, just probably a mere ten minutes away but it was feeling like ten _years _right now.

Once Edward parked into the closest parking space to the entrance, we both got out of the car like it had just tasered us. I giggled as Edward pulled me into the elevator and his mouth covered mine. I moaned as I felt his hand travel up the short dark blue dress I was wearing. I was mentally giving myself a pep talk to calm myself down and not molest him in an elevator fitted with a couple surveillance devices. Fuck, his body was just for _me _to see. No one else.

When the doors opened, Edward backed me down the hall towards our room. After fumbling with the door lock for a few seconds, Edward pressed his body roughly to mine, backing me into the wall.

"Fuck, I want you," he panted, our lips nearly touching, as my fingers frantically moving to unfasten his belt.

"Here, please," I pleaded as Edward undid his pants as quickly as he could. Fuck my dress right now. I needed him too badly.

Edward turned my back to the wall again while his hands travelled up my thighs roughly. I moaned loudly as his long fingers caressed my bare, wet pussy.

"Fuck, baby. No underwear?" he asked. I nodded, unable to answer due to the pleasure I was feeling, having his fingers pumping slowly in and out of me. My head fell to his shoulder as a shudder went through my body.

"Fuck me, baby, please," I groaned. I couldn't take it anymore. I _needed_ him like fucking air. "Take me like you used to." As much as I loved him taking care of me, being gentle and loving with me, I _adored_ it when he was being rough and domineering. I needed _that _Edward right now.

His hands moved up to unzip my dress. The sound of the zipper was loud in the dark room. "Mmm, baby," Edward moaned as his mouth latched onto one of my hardened nipples. He placed himself at my entrance and pushed the head in slowly. We both moaned at the contact.

"Please, Edward," I pleaded him. I couldn't take the teasing any longer. "_Fuck _me."

Edward let out a guttural groan and thrust deep inside me. I kissed him hard, sucking on his lower lip and I met him thrust for thrust. I placed my arms around his shoulder and lifted my legs, hooking them around his waist. Edward moaned into my mouth and held onto my waist tightly, pulling me onto his cock, setting a hard, fast rhythm. My pussy tightened at the sensation and I knew I was close.

Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore, Edward reached down and moved his fingers over my clit, pinching it tightly while continuing to pound inside me roughly.

"Oh, fuck, Edward!" I cried out as I came. God, the pleasure was overwhelming, more than I have ever experienced. With three more thrusts, Edward finally came inside me and stilled, placing his head against the wall behind me.

I collapsed against his chest as he moved out of me. "That was…" I panted, trying to catch my breath. _Fucking unbelievable. _

"I know," Edward answered, his voice shaking. "It always is, and always will be."

I stumbled as he placed me back on my trembling legs. I didn't need to worry though, as he was still holding me tightly. He placed a tender kiss on my lips before reaching my face, caressing it gently. His beautiful green eyes were sparkling with emotion. Emotion that I was positive reflected in mine.

"I love you, Isabella."

I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my head into his chest. It was the best feeling in the world to have him holding me so lovingly against his strong, muscular body.

"I love you, too, so much. We're getting married!" I marvelled. It was still something to get used to, to go from being his girlfriend to _fiancée. _

"We are," he replied. "As soon as possible."

"Are you cold?" he asked after a minute of silence.

"No," I answered.

Edward chuckled and held my hand tightly as we made our way to the bedroom. "Go lie down for a bit while I get the bath warmed up."

I smiled at him. Oh, my beautiful, sweet, caring boyfriend…no, _fiancé. _"You must be tired. We can just lie down and sleep if you want."

Edward shook his head. "Nah. I want to wash my beautiful fiancée's hair."

We lay together in the bathtub together, my body lying between his legs and my head pressed against his chest.

"When do you want to get married?" Edward asked, his fingers trailing up and down my arm softly, causing my entire body to tremble.

I looked at him thoughtfully for a minute, a vision of Edward standing at the altar blinding me. "Three months," I paused. "Is that too soon?"

Edward smiled at me. "I think Alice can get it planned within that time space."

I groaned and wrinkled my nose. "Ugh. I really don't want to tell her about this today, but she's going to freak if I don't."

"I think she'd freak even if you tell her the minute after I proposed," he replied, laughing softly. "It's Alice, after all."

We were both silent after that, each absorbed in our own thought.

"How many children do you want?" Edward suddenly blurted out.

I laughed. "Seeing into the future already, are we?" I asked before considering. "Two? Or three. I like the idea of having more than one. Charlie always wanted another but Renee didn't."

I was always lonely as a child, even with Edward, Alice, Jazz, Rose, Angela and Em as my close friends. I didn't always have someone to talk to me and Charlie knew that.

"Soon?" Edward asked, interrupting my thoughts.

"Soon."

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**There you go! You guys finally have a _little_ insight into Edward and Bella's future. I'm an HEA person, after all. It's a little short but it's purpose is done. I might do another outtake because I just love these two so much but I'm not making any promises. This story is going to be marked 'complete' but I might come back and add something so put me on 'story alert' or 'author alert', m'kay? **


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